Group known as Niger Delta Accountability and Development Congress, Wednesday, condemned the statement made against the National Assembly by the Interim Management Committee (IMC), wherein it accused NASS of inserting over 500 projects into the 2019 budget of the agency and also arm twisting the IMC from carrying out forensic audit as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ojougboh had also alleged among others that some Senators got over 1000 contracts from the NDDC. In the same vein, Pondei claimed that the “overbearing stranglehold” of the National Assembly panels was responsible for the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget in March 2020.

He equally said that the reason the NDDC applied to the National Assembly for the virement of its 2019 budget was “because the commission only got the letter of approval of the budget on March 20, 2020, after the NDDC was coerced by some lawmakers to pay 20 contractors.”

Reacting to the above allegations, Tamunosisi Briggs, the group’s President, said, urged National Assembly to insist on the dissolution of IMC and Governing Board to be put in place in line with the NDDC Act.

His words, “Never in the history of Constitutional Democracy in Nigeria has an agency of government spewed lies, propaganda, threats, abuses and blackmail to undermine the integrity of the Legislative arm of government.

“The campaign launched by IMC of the NDDC is brazen in that, aside from challenging the integrity of members and the two houses of the National Assembly, it seeks to destroy their reputation and reduce them before the Nigerian people.

“The whole mission of these NDDC interim executives is to unfairly diminish the reputation and esteem of the National Legislators in the eyes of the Nigerian people and weaken the resolve of the National Assembly to perform its constitutionally guaranteed responsibility under Section 88 of the Nigerian Constitution to hold organisations and officers of MDAs to account in the public interest.

Section 88 (1) of the constitution (as amended), confers on the National Assembly the power to “direct or cause to be directed investigation into – (a) any matter or thing with respect to which it has power to make laws, and (b) the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, ministry or government department charged, or intended to be charged, with the duty of or responsibility for – (i) executing or administering laws enacted by National Assembly, and (ii) disbursing or administering moneys appropriated or to be appropriated by the National Assembly.” This is why the National Assembly has a responsibility to investigate the books of any Ministry, Department or Agency of Government including the NDDC at any time of its choosing.

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“In spite of these provisions of the Constitution that guarantees the responsibility of the Senate and House of Representatives to hold MDAs to account, the illegal IMC have taken pleasure in ridiculing the National lawmakers, even generating spurious stories without any evidence to damage and destroy their reputations.

“The IMC is an illegal contraption. The law setting up the NDDC, provides that it be managed by a Governing Board nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. It was not envisaged that certain characters will be appointed and without passing through a Confirmation process of the Senate go ahead to manage the funds of the Commission.

“The President indeed in October 2019 nominated members for the NDDC Governing Board who were screened and confirmed by the Senate. The Confirmed Board has been put on hold for an illegal IMC that is not provided for in the NDDC Act. It is time for the National Assembly to insist for the Governing Board to be put in place in line with the NDDC Act.

In the mean time, Nigerians are waiting to see how the National Assembly will react when it resumes Plenary.

Recall that Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta North had stressed that all allegations leveled against the National Assembly by the Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Kemebradikumo Pondei and the ones personally directed at him by the Executive Director, Project, Dr Cairo Ojougboh were baseless, unfounded and mere fabrications.

According to Nwaoboshi who spoke with Journalists in his office, the ongoing probe exercise on finances of the Commission by both Chambers of the National Assembly however triggered what he described as the open media attacks against the National Assembly by the IMC.

Never in the history of Constitutional Democracy in Nigeria has an agency of government spewed lies, propaganda, threats, abuses and blackmail to undermine the integrity of the Legislative arm of government.

The campaign launched by IMC of the NDDC is brazen in that, aside from challenging the integrity of members and the two houses of the National Assembly, it seeks to destroy their reputation and reduce them before the Nigerian people.

Vanguard