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| Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) |
The Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption, led by Prof. Itse Sagay, on Wednesday, said it had
begun “meeting” on the documents submitted to it on the budget padding
scandal by leaders of the House of Representatives.
The Executive Secretary of PACAC, Prof.
Bolaji Owasanoye, said this after a meeting the presidential panel held
in Abuja with a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on
Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who had submitted some documents
to PACAC.
Owasanoye confirmed after the meeting with Jibrin that the committee had started considering the petitioner’s submissions and documents.
“What I can tell you now is that we are
still meeting on the issue. It is difficult to tell you the outcome or
what line of action we are taking next. It will be pre-emptive to say
anything at this stage,” Owasanoye said.
Jibrin emerged from the meeting which
took place at the secretariat of the PACAC at the Phase 1 of the Federal
Secretariat, Abuja, at about 2.49pm on Wednesday, renewing his call for
the removal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu
Dogara, and other principal officers, over the budget padding scam
rocking the lower legislative chamber.
Jibrin, who was sacked as the House
committee chairman on appropriation for allegedly “abusing” the 2016
budget, had earlier petitioned PACAC, the police and the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, accusing Dogara, the Deputy Speaker,
Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority
Leader, Leo Ogor, of padding the budget by over N40bn.
Jibrin met with members of PACAC for about four hours on Wednesday following an invitation by the committee.
Fielding questions from journalists
after meeting with PACAC members, Jibrin described his deliberations
with the committee members as fruitful.
He insisted that Dogara and others had been shown to be corrupt and had lost the moral right to remain in office.
He said, “Yes, we still stand by our
position, given the gravity of the allegations against the Speaker,
Dogara, Lasun, Ado-Doguwa and Leo Ogor, and the fact that they have not
responded to any of the allegations till date.
“Some of these allegations are specific
allegations that it will be hard for anybody to deny. We had expected
that they should do the honourable thing by resigning and submitting
themselves to investigation.
“Of course, the Leader of the House
(Femi Gbajabiamila) has led by example; he has submitted himself to the
police. But the most important thing is that that position has not
changed.
“I want Nigerians to understand that the
whole thing is not only about Dogara; it is about changing the system,
it is about reforming the system of the House of Representatives.
“I have done my own part of it. I have
exposed corruption; I’ve submitted petitions to the anti-corruption
agencies and within what is in my control and the control of other
members of the National Assembly that believe in this cause, we’ll
continue to do everything that we can to ensure that justice is served
on Speaker Dogara, Deputy Speaker Lasun, Chief Whip Ado-Doguwa and of
course, the House Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.”
Responding to allegations that he owned
some posh properties in choice places offshore, he challenged any member
of the House of Representatives, with evidence of any crime against
him, to personally sign a petition and send same to the anti-graft
agencies as he had done against Dogara and others.
He said, “I have also said that anybody who has anything against me should forward it to the anti-graft agencies.
“So far, there is not any member of the
House of Representatives that has signed a petition and submitted it to
the anti-graft agencies against me.
“Then, additionally, I have written and
submitted to the anti-graft agencies and pledged that I will stand as a
witness against these corrupt members of the House of Representatives.
“But nobody has done that; no member has
come out. All that you’ve seen in the media are proxies; they are using
youth organisations here and there to peddle lies. No anti-corruption
agency has invited me over any allegation. Not any, up to date. But I
will readily submit myself for investigation if such need arises.’’
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