Budget padding: Jibrin to face Reps disciplinary panel

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By; JOSHUA I. EGBODO, Abuja.
 The House of Representatives has commenced investigation into former Appropriations Committee Chairman, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin’s allegations against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and others that they illegally padded the 2016 budget.
 
The House Wednesday directed its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to properly investigate the matter and report its findings with appropriate recommendations back within one week.
 
This  followed the adoption of a motion under matters of privileges, raised by Chairman of the Rules and Business Committee, Emmanuel Oker-Jev, stating that Jibrin acted in breach of the privileges of the House, that of its members, practices, precedents and usages of the House, as well as sundry acts of misconduct against the members of the House among others.
 
He said Jibrin “embarked on a campaign of calumny and denigration by making false and scandalous statements and publications in the print and electronic media and the Internet, against the entire membership and the institution of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly”.
 
According to  him, the lawmaker’s assertion of corruption in the House “were written, made and published with reckless disregard as to whether or not they were true, thereby scandalising the House and its members”
 
Midway into the motion being moved by Oker-Jev, Jibrin staged a walkout, shaking his head as he left the floor. And after the voice votes in approval of the motion, Aliyu Madaki protested, citing the House’s rules on privileges. He was repeatedly shouted on to sit down, putting tge proceedings on hold for about 30 minutes. He later said Dogara did not allow the motion to be seconded, and also that Dogara ought to resign.
 
Dogara ruled Madaki out of order, explaining that members were witnesses to the fact that the motion was duly seconded before question for votes was put. And on the call for resignation, he said “you rightly said the allegations were against the entire members of the House, it is all the members that should resign. As the Speaker, I would want to receive all their resignation letters first….”.
 
The Speaker’s ruling was wildly applauded with “Dogara”, “Dogara”, “Dogara” renting the air from his supporters, as some others hurriedly volunteered sheets of paper for Madaki, urging him to draft his resignation letter. Green neck mufflers with the inscription; “#I Stand With Dogara” in white immediately surfaced and were distributed among members. This took about 30 minutes again for calm to be restored.

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