The Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) has accused Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives,
of frustrating corruption investigations.
The house of representatives
announced the suspension of all activities of its committees on August 19.
“The leadership of the house of
representatives recently met and resolved that henceforth all activities of
standing and ad-hoc committees be put on hold while the house is on its annual
recess,” Alhassan Doguwa, the house leader, had said.
“Accordingly, all standing and ad
hoc committee chairmen are hereby directed to suspend with immediate effect all
committee meetings, public hearings and other engagements until the house
resumes from its annual recess.”
In a statement signed by Kola
Ologbondiyan (pictured), its spokesman, the PDP said the decision to shut down
the sitting of various committees carrying out investigations “is a deliberate
design to cover the stench of corruption oozing out of the APC administration”.
The party said such interference
in the activities of the committees is to quench the fight against corruption
as well as to frustrate whistleblowers because “APC has become an ocean of
corruption where the members are swimming”.
“It is clear that the shutdown
directive is targeted at frustrating revelations from ongoing investigations on
the $500 million foreign loan from China, particularly as it relates to the
mortgaging of our nation’s sovereignty to China,” the statement read.
“This is in addition to the
investigations into the humongous corruption in government agencies including
the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigeria Social Insurance
Trust Fund (NSITF) the N300 billion unremitted revenue to the federation
account as well as allegations of corruption in government earnings and the
expenditure in ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) under the APC.
“It is therefore unfortunate that
under the Femi Gbajabiamila-led leadership, the basic responsibility of the
house of representatives, which is its oversight on the executive, has just
been maimed through a forced holiday on the members of the respective
committees and their chairmen.
“It is equally distressing that
the APC leadership of the house of representatives is breaching parliamentary
rules, practices and procedures to shield APC leaders and their cronies who
have been fleecing our nation.
“Our party, therefore, holds that
any parliament that deliberately frustrates its statutory responsibility to
call the activities of the executive to question has lost the essence of its
own existence.”
The PDP said such action is
calamitous to Nigeria’s democracy and charged Gbajabiamila to “stop
circumventing the statutory duties of the house of representatives and placing
of wedges in the way of the fight against corruption by the legislature”.
“If the honourable speaker is
inclined towards allowing the covering of corruption, against the purpose for
which he was elected to lead the house, then, he should take a bow and step
aside.”
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