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Probe Panel - We're Satisfied With Obasanjo's Response |
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[Abuja, Nigeria] Despite the controversy over the invitation of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the House of Representatives Committee probing the contracts in the power sector has said it is satisfied with the responses of Obasanjo and Atiku to its summons.
The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, told THISDAY last night that Obasanjo and Atiku had shown respect to the panel.
The House committee had summoned the duo to appear before it last Monday to give their perspectives on the power sector.
Obasanjo did not appear, saying he was slightly indisposed but sent his submission on the handling of the power sector during his tenure from 1999 to 2007 to the committee through his Special Assistant, Taiwo Ojo.
Atiku who said he had flight difficulties also sent his perspectives to the panel but pointed out that he had no useful information on the power sector projects as he was not put in charge of it.
Contacted on the summons of the committee on Obasanjo and Atiku and the new disposition of the panel on the matter, Elumelu said: "Well I don't know about any turn around by the House. The most important thing is that the people concerned showed respect to the House and responded.
"This thing is not personal. It is not my property. People should know that Section 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empower us to do what we are doing now. Even in advanced democracies serving or past leaders are always called to explain certain roles they took while in office or after. We were not after any body in the course of our duty."
THISDAY learnt the committee has closed the issue of the invitation and has rounded off the investigations into the power sector.
The committee, it was further learnt, may submit its report to the House in plenary next week Tuesday.
Before submitting the report, the committee will meet with Speaker Dimeji Bankole for a review of the draft copy.
After getting a copy of the report to be presented by the chairman of the committee, the House will fix a date on the Order Paper when it will consider the report in plenary.
But THISDAY learnt last night that the majority of the committee members favourably disposed to the invitation of Obasanjo may invite the House to sanction their colleagues who used unparliamentarily language on their colleagues over the matter.
Some members of the committee particularly those from South-west had described the invitation of Obasanjo by the power committee as a parliamentary blunder while some others argued that it was improper to bring the former number one citizen to account for his roles in the NIPP contracts during his tenure on the floor of the House.
But the chairman of the committee who said he did not want to trade words with the committee members or colleagues in the National Assembly said though Obasanjo had proved the critics wrong by responding with a detailed write-up, the decision to have him come in person was taken by the committee during their meeting of April 22.
He said: "I don't want to start trading words over the issue with my colleagues. We took the decision and stood by it. It was a mere distraction that would not affect us.
"That is the beauty of democracy. It is not possible that in a parliament of 360 members we must all agree. Some will say nay and some yes to such issues.
"But whatever we are doing, we must understand that it is constitutional that we make the invitation and summons.
"The committee has no power to indict but make recommendations which will thereafter be debated by the entire House in plenary and then recommendations would either be acceptable or not.
"The power rests with the House and not the committee. Remember it was the House Resolution of January 31st that gave us the mandate to conduct a thorough investigation into the issue," he said. SOURCE: This Day
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