A day after an Abuja High Court judge postponed the N250bn legal action instituted against the House Speaker Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Hon. Farouk Lawan; former Chairman of the House Ad hoc Committee on fuel subsidy regime, the Speaker announced yesterday that Lawan has been sacked as chairman of the House Committee on Education with immediate effect.
It was not clear whether the Speaker’s decision was in reaction to the ongoing case, brought against the two lawmakers by Lagos business man, Mr. Femi Otedola, who is claiming N250 billion as compensation for harassment, intimidation and business loses he incurred while the defendants allegedly attempted to extort a $3m bribe, ostensibly to delist his company, Zenon Oil and Gas from the list of companies indicted in the fuel subsidy scam.
Aminu Suleiman (PDP, Kano) replaces the embattled Lawan as the substantive chairman of the House Committee on Education. Tambuwal also appointed deputy chairmen for six other committees. Until his appointment yesterday, Sulaiman was the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Productivity. Hon. Rose Okoh (PDP, Cross River), Deputy chairman of the House Education Committee had been operating in acting capacity until yesterday.
Lawan was suspended at a special plenary of the House in June 2012 after billionaire oil marketer, Mr. Femi Otedola alleged that the former chairman collected a $620,000 bribe from him to facilitate the removal of his companies in a sting operation that was mounted by security agents.
Proceedings in the case were brought to a halt on Wednesday by Justice Peter Kekemeke of an Abuja High Court, following the decision of Hon. Lawan to challenge the jurisdiction of the High Court at the Court of the Appeal. Lawan had filed a motion on notice for a stay of proceedings against the ruling of Justice Kekemeke delivered on January 30, wherein the judge said the court has the power to hear the case against the two defendants.
