PDP Members on Monday was against planned probe of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, over alleged diversion of stolen funds recovered from looters.
While the Senate leadership said the probe would proceed as
scheduled on Wednesday (tomorrow), members of the Peoples
Democratic Party in the upper federal legislative chamber kicked
against the probe.
The EFCC boss, according to a petition before the Senate, has been
accused of diverting N1tn said to have been recovered from a former
Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and a former
Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.
The petitioner, Dr. George Uboh, who is the Chief Executive Officer of
Panic Alert Security Systems, had petitioned the Senate through the
senator representing his Delta North constituency, Peter Nwaoboshi,
alleging that Lamorde, in connivance with other EFCC officials, short-
changed the Federal Government in the remittance of funds and
properties recovered from Alamieyeseigha and Balogun.
The probe of the EFCC boss by the Senate Committee on Ethics,
Privileges and Public Petitions has been scheduled to begin on
Wednesday (tomorrow).
After an earlier arguments over the propriety of the investigation by
the Senate, the PDP senators later in a statement signed by the Senate
Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio; his deputy, Emmanuel Bwacha;
Minority Whip, Philip Aduda; and his deputy, Biodun Olujimi, rejected
the planned probe.
The PDP senators’ statement, issued late on Monday, partly read, “It
has come to the notice of the PDP leadership in the Senate that the
Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions would
begin a public hearing on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 and the
committee has invited the Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission to appear before it.
“The PDP leadership in the Senate is not against any committee of the
Senate performing its oversight duties and or functions but we feel that
this is not the appropriate time to embark on the most important
assignment, particularly since the same action was mooted and had
failed at previous plenary session.
“We therefore urge the committee to suspend its public hearing on this
particular matter until further notice.
“The PDP senate leadership reassures the Nigerian public of its
support for the war against corruption by the Federal Government of
Nigeria but hastens to add that such fight against corruption should
be total and not selective.
“Nigerians need peace at this period of economic challenges
precipitated by the falling of oil prices and actions that will overheat
the polity and generate unnecessary friction between the executive
and the legislature should be avoided.”
Our correspondent learnt that there had been a heated argument among
senators earlier on Monday with the senior lawmakers divided on the
scheduled investigation of Uboh’s petition against Lamorde.
Some members of the committee to probe the EFCC boss were said to
have disagreed sharply over the investigation, though the anti-graft
commission released a statement to say that the commission under
Lamorde feared no probe.
The commission, in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren,
described Uboh’s petition as mischievous and intended to smear
Lamorde.
The statement read in part, “The EFCC as an agency that is founded on
transparency is not afraid of any ‘probe’ or request for information
regarding its activities by individuals, groups or organs of government;
so far as such requests followed due process of law.
“Even if the EFCC had not returned a kobo of recovered assets in its 12
years existence in addition to the yearly appropriated funds from the
Federation Account, it will be nowhere near a trillion naira.
“It (the petition) was sent, not to the Senate but to a member, Senate
Peter Nwaoboshi, a first-term senator from Delta North.
“Under the Senate rules, petitions meant for consideration by the red
chamber are sent to the Senate, not to a member of the Senate.
“Also, petitions meant for the Senate are tabled at the plenary, before
they are referred to the relevant committees for further consideration.
In this instance, the Senate has been on recess and there is no
evidence that the so-called petition was considered at plenary and
referred to any committee.”
According to the commission, the EFCC under Lamorde did not need
the prompting of anyone when it commissioned KPMG, an audit firm,
to carry out comprehensive audit of exhibits and forfeited assets of the
Commission from 2003 to date.
It said that the report of the audit would be made public once it is
ready.
The statement added, “Were the Commission to be jittery about its
records, it would not have embarked on such audit.
“The EFCC however warns that those who peddle false information
with the intent to mislead should be reminded that there is a
subsisting law on false information and the consequence for violation
is grave.”
Attempts to speak with Akpabio, as of the time of filing this report,
were futile as calls made to his mobile phones did not connect while
the text message sent to him was also not acknowledged.
A member of the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, explained to
one of our correspondents that a motion was sponsored on financial
crimes earlier in the month, seeking, among others, the invitation of
Lamorde to appear before the Senate.
The senator said that one of the prayers in the motion as it specifically
affected Lamorde’s invitation was rejected by the majority of the
senators during plenary and that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki,
had no option but to rule it out.
He said, “We were however surprised that the probe was channelled
through the back door in form of a petition. We had discussed it in our
meeting and some of us believe that we should allow the petitioner to
seek redress in a court of law.
“If the chairman (of the ethics committee) still decides to go ahead
with the invitation of the EFCC chairman, we will have no choice but to
write our own minority report at the end of the exercise because we
believe it is an issue that could be settled in court.”
But the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, Senator Samuel
Anyanwu, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Monday
that there was no disagreement among the committee members and
that the probe would go on as scheduled.
He said, “There is no confusion anywhere, we are inviting the EFCC
chairman and the man that wrote a petition against him. This is
different from the decision taken on the floor of the Senate over a
motion.
“Our committee is intact and there is no dissenting voice, we will go
ahead with the probe on Wednesday by the grace of God. We have the
mandate of Nigerians to discharge our lawful functions as lawmakers;
hence we will treat the petition on its merit.”
Also, when contacted, the Senate spokesperson, Dino Melaye, said he
was not aware of the disagreement among members of the committee
over Lamorde and that the probe had nothing to do with the rejection
of an earlier prayer in a motion seeking his invitation by the Senate.
Melaye said, “The rule of the Senate permits its Committee on Ethics
and Public Petitions to invite anybody indicted in a petition. It has
nothing to do with any resolution of the entire house.
“I am aware that the committee will proceed with the invitation of the
EFCC boss as scheduled on Wednesday. A formal letter had been sent
to him in that regard.”
The offences alleged against Larmode were said to have been
committed when he was the Director of Operations of the EFCC
between 2003 and 2007, as well as an acting Chairman of the
commission between June 2007 and May 2008.

K... .. the hunter has become the bushmeat... .. were is Sound Sultan?

Okay

All good,we need the check and balance. Everyone should be open to checks to ensure no sacred cows. Anyone doing or having done any dealings for government and people should be ask again and again to account for any actions or deeds to ensure accountability and efficiency.
Nothing wrong in asking them to come and answer or clear issues. Even better still put clear there stewardship.

Buhariophobia. The fear of buhari is the beginning of wisdom

Confusion in the camp of the Nigerian enemies. However, ifthis story 8s true then we still have little dignity among few of the PDP lawmakers !!

Op source, all this senators are just fighting for their heads, and not d interest of Nigerians