The Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio on Thursday denied claiming that members of the National Assembly get 60 percent of contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In a letter read by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker, Akpabio claimed that his reference to 60 percent was in respect of old contracts awarded by the NDDC which had not been paid for. Some of those projects, Akpabio added, are part of the constituency projects of the legislators.
The reading of Akpabio’s letter came after the Speaker of the House had announced the Reps would proceed to sue the Minister for perjury and defamation. The House had given him 48 hours from Tuesday to provide the list of lawmakers who benefitted from the contracts, as he claimed on Monday.
The Speaker said Akpabio’s letter would be referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to examine the merits of the minister’s arguments.
