Gbenro Adesina
The Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has declared that the last has not been heard of the allegations levied against the members of the House by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, saying he should be ready to face the full wrath of the law if he fails to prove his allegation.
Akpabio, who is being probed over corrupt activities using his office to usurp the power of the chief accounting officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for financial benefits, alleged that most of the contracts being awarded in NDDC go to the majority members of the House of Representatives.
Gbajabiamila noted that last Tuesday July 21, 2020, he issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to substantiate his allegation that over 60 per cent of contracts awarded by NDDC went to members of the federal lawmakers.
His words, “I said then that the Honourable Minister owed it to himself and the country to provide evidence to support these serious allegations. The Honourable Minister has failed to respond to my request. Therefore, I must conclude that his statement intended solely to gaslight the nation to avoid accountability for the evident maladministration and malfeasance in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). I have held every leadership position from Minority Whip, to Minority Leader, Leader of the House (Majority Leader) and now Speaker. I recognise that the House has not always lived up to the high expectations of the Nigerian people. As much as we still have a lot to do in that regard, I refuse to sit here in good conscience and allow anyone to assassinate the character of the House in an attempt to deflect accountability for their conduct in office“.
Following this position, the Speaker instructed the Clerk of the House to engage the services of a legal counsel to institute a criminal complaint of perjury against the Minister as well as exploring the possibility of a civil defamation suit.
Justifying the action against the Minister, he said, “The House of Representatives is a public trust placed in our care for the duration of our term in office. We must prove ourselves worthy of this public trust or risk the censure of history. Therefore, we will resist every attempt to undermine this institution, whether such attempts come from within or from outside will live up to the highest expectations of the Nigerian people. This is our commitment, and we will not fail”.
However, in a twist of an event, the embattled Minister denied alleging members of the National Assembly of getting about 60 per cent of the contracts being awarded by NDDC, saying that he was being misquoted.
