A
former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has
described the House of Representatives as the most corrupt arm of government in
the country.
He
said this on Sunday when he reviewed the anti-corruption crusade, which he
launched against the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, and three other principals of
the legislature.
Jubrin
said the review marked the 30th day of his removal as the Chairman, House of
Representatives Committee on Appropriation.
The
other three are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Lasun Yussuff; the Chief Whip, Mr.
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.
Jibrin,
an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Kano State, was removed by Dogara on
July 20 for allegedly “abusing” the 2016 budget.
“I
dare say corruption in the House of Representatives today is more than that of
the executive and judiciary combined.
“We
shall go on and continue to expose corruption and corrupt persons in the
House,” he wrote in a statement.
On
July 21, he launched his anti-corruption campaign against the four principal
officers, demanding, among others, their resignation.
In
his latest statement on Sunday titled, ‘30 Days of Dogara-Gate,’ Jibrin said he
would step up his fight to cleanse the legislature of corruption.
He
said he expected that Dogara and the three others should have been prosecuted
by now, adding that he would explore every available legal means to bring them
to justice.
“The
truth remains that Dogara, Yussuff, Doguwa, Ogor and others committed
monumental fraud in the 2016 Budget, which can be prosecuted under our laws.
“We
will explore all legal avenues to ensure that justice is served,” the former
chairman said.
As
always, Jibrin claimed that no offence had been listed against him other than
sacking him.
“During
this period (30 days), they have struggled to establish one single allegation
against me or a single reason for ‘sacking’ me that can stand the test of
truth. Every day, the reason for ‘sacking’ me continues to change,” he added.
Jibrin
took a swipe at the judiciary and the executive arms of government, even as he
described the House as being more corrupt than the two combined.
Only
on Thursday last week, the 10 principal officers of the House signed a
joint statement to disown Jibrin.
They
said his sacking was a ‘collective decision’ arising from his role in abusing
the budget process.
“The
decision to relieve the erstwhile Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation,
of his position was a collective decision of the leadership in response to
unrelenting pressure from the overwhelming majority of members who were irked
by the former chairman’s gross abuse of the budget process,” the principal
officers stated.
Those
who signed the joint statement were Dogara, Yussuff, Ado-Doguwa, House Leader,
Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Leader, Buba Jibril; Deputy Whip, Pally Iriase; Ogor;
Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyeama; Minority Whip, Yakubu Barde; and
Deputy Minority Whip, Binta Bello-Maigeri.
But,
on Friday, Jibrin dismissed the principal officers, alleging that they came
under pressure from Dogara to disown him.
When
contacted on Sunday, the Speaker’s Office said it no longer found it necessary
to respond to Jibrin’s statements.
Tags
Politics