…Minister’s letter to tarry for debate at plenary in September

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

House of Representatives may not have wholly discarded the threat to slam a lawsuit against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio for alleged perjury and defamation.

It will be recalled that Akpabio had at an investigative public hearing of the House Committee on Niger Delta, probing the financial improprieties by the Interim Management Committee, IMC of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC to the tune of N81.5 billion last Monday stated that 60% of the agency’s contracts were awarded to the members of the 9th National Assembly.

Also read: NDDC probe: Group indicts Niger Delta Governors over financial mismanagement

The statement got the House infuriated and in response, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila at plenary on Tuesday issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the Minister to publish the names of the suspected beneficiaries failing which the parliament will activate necessary legal options to clear its name of the allegation.

When after 48 hours the Minister failed to publish the names, the Speaker subsequently detailed the clerk of the House to commence the legal processes.

But hardly had the House reached the resolution at plenary on Thursday than Akpabio swiftly turned in a letter, making a volte-face on his words.

Incidentally, on the same day, the House adjourned plenary and proceeded on its annual vacation to resume on September 15, 2020.

With the recess and Akpabio’s denial of the annoying statement, it has become uncertain on whether the House was still proceeding with the court action.

Speaking exclusively with Vanguard on the issue, Sunday, some members of the House said the decision was not one man’s decision.

Craving anonymity, the members, however, said that since the Minister had “taken back his words”, it was good to let the sleeping dog lie.

The first lawmaker said that going by the established conventions and procedures upon which the House operates, the matter may eventually be resolved by way of a motion and debate of the letter by the members.

This, he said was likely to happen in September when the House will resume plenary.

He said: “The House is in recess. There was an instruction before the letter to look into it legally and advice. I think that was Speaker’s pronouncement. But before the advice came, a letter from Akpabio came in which he claimed not have indicted the members of the 9th National Assembly. I think further interrogation on whether the House will let it go or not will resume in September. Only I cannot be able to defend the opinion of the House. The opinion of the House can better be defended by Hon. Kalu.

“But in my humble opinion, to me, the man said he didn’t say what he was being accused of. If a man has said he didn’t say what he was being accused of, do you need any soothsayer to tell you journey again? I don’t know, can’t say if there is any need or not to still go to court. I don’t speak for the House.

“The man has told you publicly, to to the whole world that he didn’t say this. So, between me and you, what’s your prediction?

“What you really need to know too is that the House has not taken a resolution on that matter (Letter). It will be a document for discussion. You and I know how the House runs. He had submitted to the House. Somebody can raise it to say, OK, this letter Akpabio wrote, can we debate it? Probably when we resume, somebody can raise such an issue.”

Asked if the letter was kept in abeyance pending when the House resumes, the lawmaker said “I am the opinion of the House. No one single individual a say the matter has closed or finished because the day that the letter came was also the same day the House adjourned. So, such issues, you never can tell, may crop up in the future or may not crop up again. So, it depends.”

The second lawmaker who also spoke to our correspondent on the matter said for him, going to court after the Minister’s letter would be unnecessary.

“I don’t know now but if I have my way, I think it is not necessary anymore because the man had taken back his words”, he said.

Meanwhile, Vanguard had made a series of concerted efforts since Saturday to reach the Spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu on the matter but he neither answered his phone nor returned text messages for comments even as at press time.

Vanguard News