MY
RESPONSE TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY 9 MEMBERS OF THE 40-MEMBER
APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
All the
accusations they leveled against me are not in any way different from the bunch
of lies contained in the shameless statement released by Speaker Dogara and the
3 other principal officers through Hon Namdas which I have fully provided
response to.
But to
prove my innocence, I have resolved that I will respond to any accusation or
allegation leveled against me, unlike the corrupt Speaker Dogara, who rather
than respond to the 25 allegations I leveled against him and others, has
resorted to use legal gimmicks to stall the allegations. Mr Speaker, you cannot
sweep such hefty allegations under the carpet. You think Nigerians are not
watching?
First,
only 9 out of the 40 appropriation committee members agreed to participate in
such a dishonorable press conference after shamelessly collecting $20,000 each
distributed to them two days ago at the Speaker's residence by his Deputy Chief
of staff Hon CID Maduabum.
My same
Deputy Hon Chris Azubogu (you will remember his history with Hon Hembe in the
7th Assembly) who was used to organize the press conference was clearly on
camera almost crying at the press conference where I announced my resignation.
It took a
couple of minutes before I could calm him down, get him seated for me to
commence the event. See attached documents showing his greedy demands for
insertions 111 projects into the budget which I turned down. You can imagine
the pressure I went through. The 9 of them are a disgrace to their
constituents.
On the
lies that I never conferred with committee members or excluded them, here is
the fact. The members of appropriation committee were fully carried along
except those periods that the Quartet of Speaker Dogara and others took away
the entire secretariat from me.
When the
appropriation bill passes second reading and is referred to the appropriation
committee, a meeting with standing committee chairmen, their deputies and
principal officers is usually held to discuss the guidelines for the committee
work. We held that meeting on Wednesday January 27th 2016 With Mr Speaker in
attendance. (see attached for document showing agenda of meeting and guide
lines provided to standing committees).
The 40
members of the appropriation committee are grouped into sub-committees and
allocated a number of standing committees to supervise. Their role is so
important such that they must first agree with the report of the various
standing committees they supervised before the report of such committees are
considered, deliberated and adopted by the appropriation committee. The
implication of that process is that every member participated and endorsed the
reports. God so kind, the entire session was recorded publicly.
I will
release the videos so that my Hon colleagues and the general public will see
videos of appropriation members in action. And the 9 members of the
appropriation committee with short memory will be reminded.
No report
of a standing committee of the house was received without the approval of
members of appropriation committee. See attached for document showing full list
of members of appropriation committee, distribution into sub committees,
secretary of each subcommittee, contacts and meeting rooms. Interestingly, the
distribution and allocations was done by this same Deputy chairman of mine!
Where is his honour?
Again
they tried to drag the entire house and body of principal officers into this
matter. I have stated categorically clear several times that my allegations are
not against the House as an institution or the entire body of principal
officers but specifically on Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun,
Whip Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor and few other members.
It is
also a blatant lie that I disappeared. I was always at home since we were on a
short break. Even more shocking is the fact that my Deputy Hon Chris Azubogu
who was regularly at my home during that period can go on national TV for a
price of $20,000 to tell such shameful lies.
Well,
CCTV don't tell lies. The period that my colleagues didn't see me was the two
occasions that Speaker Dogara and the others took away my secretariat. At
least, now you know that your budget was with Mr Speaker not me.
On the
issue of pressure by members against me, I have explained that countless times.
Who can blame them when they do not have the facts of the matter.
All they
know and hear is Hon Jibrin. This is in addition to a well-orchestrated
blackmail by Speaker Dogara and his cohorts to spread false hood and
effectively block me from briefing members.
The
conspiracy of silence by the few committee chairmen who are culprits didn't
help my case. Well, now the whole members are getting to know what transpired.
The
contradictions in all your statements are too much. Here you are talking about
sack.
What do
we believe after the Speaker first admitted that I resigned? Again, on one hand
you say Hon Jibrin padded the budget, on the other hand you say nothing like
padding in the entire budget. Which do you want us to believe? Yes we have
complete powers of appropriation but the intention of the constitution is not
to say you should exercise that power in a senseless manner, okay?
The
mother of all contradiction, is when you said no breach was committed so there
must not be any external probe but internal. So if there has been no breach
what so ever in the budget process, why are you accusing me of committing so
many offence in that regard? And what do you intend to probe internally?
My dear
colleagues, you all know me very well and my bluntness and anti-corruption
stance in the House. We will all die and meet our God. Feel free to play
politics but remember posterity will judge.
I urge
you all to join hands and do the Honourable thing by asking Speaker Yakubu
Dogara and the 3 other principal officers to reconvene the House and step down
with immediate effect to face prosecution. They have all lost the moral grounds
to call themselves presiding and principal officers of the House. The more they
cling on to power, the further the image of the House will be battered.
I wish to
inform you that I have officially approached the EFFC and the ICPC to come in
and decisively deal with this matter and other corruption cases in the House.
Kindly note that the allegations must be externally investigated.
This is a
defining moment for the House of Representatives. It will never be business as
usual.
Thank you
Hon
Abdulmumin Jibrin PhD MBA
Kiru-Bebeji
Federal Constituency
Kano
(APC)
Tags
Politics