Members of the
Transparency Group in the House of Representatives are poised for showdown over
the allegations on the 2016 budget as the House reconvenes from an 8-week
recess today.
The House went on the
recess on July 21 after the sack of Abdulmumin Jibrin as chairman of the
appropriation committee 24 hours earlier. Jibrin subsequently raised several
corruption allegations against Speaker Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Speaker, Yussuf
Suleimon Lasun; Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leager, Leo Ogor,
which he alleged they perpetrated in the budget.
The Transparency Group,
which came up late July, had demanded an external probe into the matter.
The deputy spokesman of
the group, Rep Yusuf Bala Ikara (APC, Kaduna) said last night that part of
their resolution was that Dogara and the rest should step aside for two weeks
for a speaker pro tempo to emerge. “If after investigation is carried out and
they’re not found guilty, they can then resume their seats,” he said.
He also said they resolved
to invite Jibrin to address them to know if his motives were similar to theirs.
Another resolution reached, he said, was that the group would not allow any
member to be suspended, in reference to Jibrin, and that they would not accept
any vote of confidence on Dogara or any other principal officer of the House.
But House spokesman, Rep Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa), when contacted,
insisted that members of the Transparency Group must subject whatever motion
they have to the rules of the House.
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