Dogara threatens Jibrin

THERE is no resolution in sight in the budget padding imbroglio the House of Rep­resentatives is enmeshed in as Speaker Yakubu Dogara, yesterday gave his arch-ene­my, former chairman of the House Committee on Ap­propriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, seven-day ultimatum to retract and apologise for his recent public pronounce­ments against him.

Dogara, in a letter writ­ten by his lawyers, Professor Joash Amupitan and Co., said Jibrin should expect grave consequences should he fail to retract and apologise for the publication of a series of “libellous” materials in the media which he claimed were actuated by vendetta owing to his “recent removal as the Chairman of House Commit­tee on Appropriation.”

The letter said: “Take notice that in the event of your fail­ure/refusal to comply with the above-mentioned de­mands within seven days of your receipt of this letter, we have further instructions to institute a suit against you in a court of law.”

The counsel said the Speaker had been subjected to “public opprobrium, odi­um, scorn and ridicule” fol­lowing Jibrin’s allegations, which were widely circulated in the media.

“Consequently, we con­sider your publication on the matter as not only libellous but made in bad faith,” said the letter.

But Jibrin has vowed not to tender any apology.

In a series of tweets react­ing to the Speaker’s state­ments, Jibrin wrote: “I will not and will never apolo­gise to a shameless fraud in high office who has glar­ingly abused public trust like speaker Dogara and three others.”

The Kano lawmaker repre­senting Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency in the National Assembly described the le­gal action threats by Speaker Dogara as “quite predicable.”

Jibrin wrote through his verified twitter account, “@ AbdulAbmJ “I know he will rush to court in order to in­voke the house rules that matter in court cannot be heard on the floor.

“He failed to realise that the law is not intended to protect corrupt people. It is such a shame.”

Jibrin also announced that his lawyer’s have approached the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis­sion (EFCC).

“I am happy to announce that my lawyers have official­ly approached the EFCC and the ICPC towards working out a date for me to personal­ly submit my petition against Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuf La­sun, Whip Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leo Ogor,” he wrote.

“I believe once a date is agreed with the anti-corrup­tion agencies, we would have begun the process of making these characters pay for abus­ing their office,” his tweet read.

Jibrin, had demanded the immediate resignation of Dogara and the three other principal officers over alleged budget padding. He accused them of allocating N40 bil­lion to themselves out of N100 billion earmarked for the constituency projects of all lawmakers.

AFENIFERE REACTS:

Meanwhile, the Pan-Yor­uba socio-cultural organiza­tion, Afenifere has called for indepth probe into the allega­tion against some members of the National Assembly, even as it declared its support for the anti-corruption cru­sade of the President Buhari-led government.

The foremost Yoruba eth­nic group called on President Buhari to do everything to ensure sanity in the National Assembly, stressing that “the current revelations have shown that there is corrup­tion in the National Assem­bly.”

Rising from its monthly meeting held at the residence of its leader, Chief Rueben Fasoranti in Akure, Afenifere urged President Buhari to extend his anti-corruption war to all sectors and ensure that the monies recovered are spent for the welfare of Nigerians.

Also, the Civil Legislative Advocacy Centre, (CISLAC), challenged the National As­sembly to come clean on the various scandals that has con­tinued to bedevil and dent her image in the estimation of citizens.

SOURCE:Sunnewsonline