The National Assembly yesterday
responded to the allegation of corruption levelled against it by the former
chairman of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor
Attahiru Jega.
Jega, while delivering a
Democracy Day lecture in Abuja yesterday, had alleged that members of the
National Assembly are notorious for seeking bribes to carry out their
constitutional duties.
Speaking to National Assembly
correspondents yesterday, the Senate spokesperson, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said
the ex-INEC chairman can go ahead and make whatever claim he wants.
Abdullahi said: “Jega can even
change our names to anything he wants. Jega is entitled to his opinion.
Whatever he says does not change the facts on grounds. I can’t respond to that.
If he likes, let him change our names to anything that suits him.
“This is the beauty of democracy.
People can say whatever they want. It is their right to do so. I will not
respond to what he has said.”
On his part, the House of
Representatives’ spokesman, Abdulrazak Namda was not as dismissive as his
Senate counterpart.
He challenged Jega to
substantiate his claims by mentioning names of the corrupt officials.
He said: “As far as we are
concerned, this is just an allegation. We will only take it serious if Jega mentions
people’s names. If he is specific on individuals that are notorious for taking
bribe, that would be a different thing. But this statement is a blanket
statement that should not be responded to.
“As far as we are concerned, this
is allegation that needs to be proven. Until individuals are mentioned, we will
not respond.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Before Jega Say's what he said he have those that demanded from him and those that tried to give him. How I wish y
ReplyDelete