By NDDC Contracts: Reps Drag Akpabio To Court Over Perjury
Nigeria’s House of Representatives on the orders of the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has instituted a case against Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Goodwill Akpabio.
According to the statement issued by the media office of the Speaker, Gbajabiamila instructed the Clerk of the House to initiate a law suit against the Minister for alleging that the National Assembly is the major beneficiary of projects awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
It will be recalled that Senator Akpabio while speaking at the public hearing of the House Committee on NDDC on Monday alleged that lawmakers were the most beneficiaries of sleazy contracts from the Commission.
Reacting to the allegation which caused an uproar between the Minister and a member of the panel, Hon Boma Goodhead, Speaker Gbajabiamila ordered the Minister to release the names of all the beneficiaries of such contracts who are also members of the 9th Assembly, an order he said the Minister must comply with under 48hrs.
At the plenary session on Thursday, the Speaker disclosed that following non compliance of the order given to the Minister, the House will engage the services of its legal counsel and institute a case of perjury and civil defamation against the Minister.
Part of the statement reads, “Last Tuesday I issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to substantiate his allegation that over 60% (sixty per cent) of contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) went to members of the National Assembly. 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).”
He added, “This morning, I asked the Clerk of House to engage the services of legal counsel, and instruct them to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury against the Minister. At the same time, we will instruct counsel to explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit. 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. @HouseNGR will live up to the highest expectations of the Nigerian people. This is our commitment, and we will not fail.”
