House Refers Jibrin’s Budget Padding Allegations To Ethics C’ttee

House of RepsThe House of Representatives on Wednesday referred the allegations contained in budget padding petition by its former Chairman, Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, to its Ethics and Privileges Committee.

There was speculation that the House upon resumption from its two-month long recess, would move to sanction Jibrin, the member representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his damning allegations of budget padding against the House leadership.

However, at the resumed sitting of the House on Wednesday, Emmanuel Oker-Jev, Chairman, House Rules and Business, moved a motion for the Green Chamber to address alleged breach of House ethics by the sacked appropriation committee chairman.

Subsequently, Speaker Yakubu Dogara suggested that Mr. Oker-Jev’s motion be referred to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for further investigation.

But another lawmaker from Kano, Aliyu Madaki, expressed reservations about the motion and submitted that the entire House leadership should resign in the wake of the scandal.

According to Madaki, they were all indicted by Mr. Jibrin in his scathing allegations.

This suggestion was shot down by lawmakers loyal to the Speaker, who chanted “Dogara! Dogara! Dogara!”

Throughout the deliberations, Mr. Jibrin maintained his composure but later walked out.