Suspended House of Representatives member, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin, has issued an ultimatum to his colleagues in the House of Representatives to return all questionable allowances they paid themselves within three days.
He accused his colleagues of raking in millions in illegal allowances.
In order to return their loot, Jibrin advised his colleagues to individually approach the appropriate authority and make arrangement on how to pay everything back into the federal government’s coffers. The lawmaker added that any one of them who fails to do that should be prepared to face the consequences that would follow when he publishes details of how each of them perpetrated the fraud.
Hon. Jibrin tweeted on Thursday “as I promised and gave a 72-hours ultimatum to the Principal Officers and one week to other members, I have forwarded to the Anti-graft agencies first batch of 50 members of the House that are involved in running cost allowances fraud.”
The first batch includes Speaker Dogara, Deputy Lasun, Whip Alhassan Doguwa, Minority Leader Leo Ogar, Hon Herma Hembe, Hon Jagaba Adams Hon Timothy Golu, Hon Yunusa Abubakar, Hon Mukaila O Kazzim, Hon Lynda Ikpeazu, Hon Abdulrazak Namdas, Hon Osai Nicolas among others.
His statement came after he was suspended by the House for 180 legislative days —approximately a full calendar year as the House sits three times a week— after being found guilty of violating House ethics and lawmakers’ privileges.
He added he had written to the Clerk of the National Assembly to stand by in anticipation.
Jibrin said he resolved to take this action after receiving numerous enquiries from different corners on the need for him to back his allegations against the House leadership and other lawmakers with evidence.
He said after the EFCC might have concluded their investigation the world will know whether he lied or told the truth on systemic corruption in the House of Representatives.
He also urged MDAs to ignore summons by the Reps as such summons are mere grandstanding.
“As you have started noticing, many investigative hearings and ad hoc committees are springing up like mushrooms.
“The investigative hearings are intended to blackmail the executive arm, coax them not to act on the allegations.
“The ad hoc committees are used to settling aggrieved members as it provides avenues to collect bribes.
“ You will also notice irrational grandstanding over approval of MTEF/FSP and the budget or correspondence from the President.
“All these are legislative antics employed by the House to use the institution of the House to shield corrupt members.
According to Jibrin, the EFCC and the Police have severally being victims of this kind of evil tactics by the House in the past.
“Finally, I wish to call on the Federal Government to make me face the harshest punishment prescribed by our laws if my allegations are found to be false.”
