Embattled former Chairman of the House of Reps Committee on Appropriation, Mr Abdulmumin Jibrin has called for the immediate arrest of the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officer he accused of budget padding and other corrupt practices.
In a statement made available to Channels TV on Saturday, Jibrin noted that it was already 100 days since he commenced the crusade to expose budget fraud and corruption allegedly committed and institutionalized in the House of Representatives by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Yusuf Lasun, Alhassan Doguwa, Leo Ogor and Hema Hembe.
“To commemorate this day, I urge the honorable Members of the House to join millions of Nigerians in the call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa, Ogor, Hembe and the few other fraudulent and corrupt cabal in the House of Representatives.
“I have no doubt that with the overwhelming evidence against them, Speaker Dogara and his co travelers will eventually go to jail.
“The House must deal with this issue for once and also embrace reforms that will open up the House and strengthen it to perform its constitutional function or remain a laughing stock in the eyes of Nigerians.
“But also important is to unite the House as it has become glaring that Speaker Dogara has become a divisive element that has divided the House across religious, ethnic and other negative lines. Dogara has inflicted a monumental damage to the image of the House.”
‘I Will Never Retreat’
The APC lawmaker representing Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano state has since been suspended by the House for allegedly breaching the practices and precedents of the House of Representatives.
The House also demanded a formal written apology to the House, before his future resumption of duties and has also been barred from positions of authority in the House till the end of the 8th Assembly.
The suspension was issued after the lawmaker failed to appear before the House Ethics Committee to defend allegations he made against Dogara and some other principal officers of the House.
In his latest statement, Jibrin said: “Those that suspended me may as well extend the suspension to 2019 as I will never retreat from this anti-corruption crusade of exposing individual and systemic corruption in the House.
“If that turns out to be the case, three years is such a short period of time in Nigeria except for those playing God like Speaker Dogara – I shall meet them if not soon, at the end of the tunnel – 2019.”
Evidences of Corruption
At the time of his suspension and the eventual sealing of his office by members of the House, Mr Abdulmumin Jibrin alleged that the sealing of his office was part of a plan to enable Speaker Yakubu Dogara destroy evidences of corruption allegations levelled against him.
“The office was purportedly sealed as a consequence of my illegal suspension but the truth was to enable the Speaker lay hands (on) and destroy evidence.
“The media witnessed the volumes of 2016 budget documents and 53 files that were carted away from my office and handed to Speaker Dogara. I have exercised extreme caution and refused to touch any document in my office since the crisis started.
“I have raised alarm that Dogara wants to destroy evidence but the good news is that we have more than enough already in case of prosecution.”
Unlawful Suspension
Jibrin has since filed a suit asking a Federal High Court in Abuja to award the sum of one billion Naira against Speaker Dogara, the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the House.
This is expected to serve as punitive and general damages for his suspension, his counsel said.
Mr Jibrin in the suit is asking the court to declare that his suspension was a violation of his fundamental human right to freedom of expression.
It was a day earlier scheduled by the court to hear an earlier suit the lawmaker had filed, but that did not happen, as the counsel had come with an application for the court to discontinue the suit while a fresh suit was filed.
Mr Jibrin had filed a suit against Mr Dogara after the House passed a resolution, barring him from being part of 180 sitting days.
He claims that the decision to suspend him contravenes the law, since there was a case in a court on the issue.
