Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions has said it will not do the bidding of the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on the petition against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, Imo-East), stated that the panel treated the petition on merit without Saraki’s interference, stressing that the Senate President could not influence the ongoing investigation of Umar.
The petition was presented on the floor of the Senate by Senator Obinna Ogba (PDP, Ebonyi-Central) and signed by one Ajaso I. Ajaso on behalf of a group, Anti-Corruption Network.
A similar petition against Umar had also been sent to the House of Representatives by the same group.
The House of Representatives had also asked its Committee on Public Petitions to investigate an alleged N44.5m fraud committed by Umar.
The CCT chairman had allegedly spent N1m in July 2011 from the coffers of the tribunal to sponsor his wedding.
Umar was also alleged to have spent N15.2m to purchase a Toyota Prado Sports Utility Vehicle “without following due process.”
The House gave the directive after a member from Taraba State, Mr. Rima Shawulu, laid a petition authored by the lower legislature, detailing the alleged infractions of the CCT chairman.
The document was also signed by the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, Mr. Ajulo Ajulo.
Umar was also accused of awarding contracts for the supply of office furniture and fittings in the sum of N11.3m in March 2011, which were executed by a “supposedly engineering company and not a furniture or supply company.”
He also allegedly paid N4.2m for the “purchase of welfare items” in a contract executed by a private individual.
Anyanwu told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the committee owed Nigerians and nobody else the responsibility to treat the petition against Umar on merit.
According to him, the fact that the petition is coming at a time when Saraki is standing trial at the CCT will not stop the committee from carrying out its constitutional responsibility creditably.
He said, “Once the petition against Danladi is sent to our secretariat, we will take a look at it. Rest assured that if we find nothing in the petition, of course, we will write our report.
“I want to say that I am not doing anybody’s bidding; I have the capacity and I make researches and I have time for fact-finding and coming out with a position. Why should Saraki use me to do his bidding?
“Why would Saraki use any senator to do his bidding? He is my colleague; he is just the Senate President, one among equals. He was elected by his constituents and my constituents brought me here. Thus, it is not about doing Saraki’s bidding.
“If I have a responsibility to discharge my duty based on the petition because I am Chairman of Ethics and Privileges, I will do it. The most important thing is one’s conscience.”
END
Be the first to comment