Former House of Representatives Chairman on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin is now absent as the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges commences investigative hearing into the budget padding allegation on Friday.
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At the end of the inaugural sitting of the committee investigating Jibrin, Nicholas Ossai, chairman of the ethics committee, announced that hearing will continue at 12 noon on Monday, and that Jibrin is expected to appear. No amount of lobbying, legislative antics or blackmail of members of the House, Senate, executive arm or individuals outside the House can help you and your cabal of few corrupt members.
He explained that the allegations made had impinged on the image of the National Assembly.
While adopting Orker-Jev’s evidences, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges expressed commitment to be fair and objective in the investigation.
Abdulmumin Jibrin had given a condition that must be met for him to appear before the Ethics Committee to defend allegations of budget padding he made against principal officers of the House.
“I am ready to appear before the committee even today if the proceedings will be public”, Jibrin had said in an earlier statement.
Orker-Jev, who tendered newspaper copies and video materials as evidence, prayed the committee to apply necessary sanctions against any member guilty of misconduct in accordance with the House rules.
Senior advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has waded into the budget padding war between Kano lawmaker Abdulumin Jibrin and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara.
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Falana, who is Jibrin’s lawyer, said in his letter that Dogara should disband the committee because its constitution contravened the house rules.
