Senator Shehu Sani [APC, Kaduna Central] has opened up on the meeting he had with Chief John Odigie-Oyegun – led National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Senator Sani, who visited the APC national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, said the party leaders were not opposed to the investigation of the alleged fraudulent activities in the N1.3billion Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) contract.
The federal lawmaker, who made clarification that the party did not write to invite him for any meeting contrary to media reports, said with his presence, they discussed a number of issues, including the need for unity
in the APC caucus and what transpired after he submitted the interim report on the floor of the senate on the probe.
He said the party leaders were worried over his use of literary expression that shocked and rattled them while destroying the solidarity within the party.
He said, “They want me to slow down on some of these Cruz missiles. I told them that it is either my honour or that of the letter that was sent by the Presidency. I did not in any way attack the President. But I faulted the letter based on three issues. First, my name was omitted in the letter as Chairman of the Senate adhoc committee. Secondly, the SGF said we didn’t invite him, but we did invite him and thirdly, the letter said there was no quorum.
“I told them that in as much as my comment in deodorant and insecticide was rattling, they should have invited the SGF for calling the senate and our report balderdash and they said they were also opposed to that language used.
“They said they don’t want us to wash our dirty linings in the public and I told them that at the end of the day, even if you wash your dirty linings inside the room, you will still have to dry them outside.
“I made clarifications that they are not opposed to corruption investigations, but they are worried by the missiles I used which is causing a lot of discomfort. I told them I was only using literary expression to send my message. When I say deodorant or insecticide, it is a clear definition of the bipolar anti-corruption crusade that is going on in the country and I believe that there is the need for Nigerians to wake up to these realities.
“I made it clear to them that we are going to do our own report and continue to do it. I am glad that they are not opposed to our investigation and they are also not opposed to the continuation of our investigation.”
He said the senate would release a detailed report on the probe of the contract which indicted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir David Lawal, stressing that nobody can stop its investigation into the massive misappropriation of funds for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the north east.
“Nobody can stop that. We are determined to do our work and we have done an interim report and we are going to come out with the full detail after this break and nobody in the party has said he is opposed to it. But I think that their major concern was my grammar,” Senator Sani also said.
President Muhammadu Buhari had turned down a request by the Senate to sack the SGF over alleged contract fraud, following the receipt of the report of a review team he constituted to consider the Senate’s recommendations.
A Senate committee report in November had indicted the SGF of fraud in N1.3billion PINE contract and asked President Buhari to sack and prosecute him. (Daily Trust)
