The House of Representatives has suspended former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin for 180 legislative days, which is the minimum a member attends plenary in a legislative year, as prescribed by Section 63 of the House rules.
Jibrin would also not be recommended for any position till end of the Eighth Assembly, and will be required to tender a public apology to his colleagues on resumption from suspension.
However, the suspended legislator asked the nine principal officers to disclose the amount they received as running cost since their election into the National Assembly, or be forced to.
The House probed the lawmaker’s accusation against the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun; Chief Whip Alhassan Doguwa; Minority leader Leo Ogor; and nine committee chairmen for illegally inserting fictitious projects into the 2016 budget.
The suspension followed adoption of the recommendations of the Nicholas Ossai-led Ethics and Privileges Committee, which investigated Jibrin for alleged breach of privileges of his colleagues, and bringing the House into disrepute with his accusations.
The recommendations were adopted at the Committee of the Whole, presided over by Lasun.
The report said: “Consequent upon the foregoing paragraphs, the committee recommends as follows: “To reprimand Jibrin, in accordance with Chapter 9 (1) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Representatives.
“That as provided in Order Six, Rule 1 (4) of the Standing Orders, and Chapter 9 (2)of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House, the House by this resolution further regulates its procedure and accordingly suspends Jibrin for 180 Legislative sitting days in the first instance.
“That further to paragraph 5.02 above, Jibrin is required to tender a formal written apology to the House, prior to his future resumption of duties in the House.
“That in accordance with Chapter 9 (3) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House, Jibrin should be barred from positions of responsibility in the House until the end of the Eighth Assembly.”
Presenting the report at the Committee of the Whole, Ethics and Privileges Committee Chairman Ossai said, in reaction to Jibrin’s accusation of the committee as bias, he (Ossai) offered to step down for his deputy to take over the probe.
Jibrin earlier said the probe was in contempt of the court, since the matter was a subject of litigation.
Ossai said Jibrin’s refusal to honour the committee’s invitation amounted to his defence. Two witnesses appeared before the panel on two sittings: Oker-Jev and Channels Television. Ossai said the report and its recommendations emanated from evidence before the committee.
