The All Progressives Congress (APC) Tuesday waded into the crisis erupting the House of Representatives on the allegation of budget padding against the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogora by former chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Hon. Abdulmunin Jibrin. The party quizzed Jibrin, who arrived party National Secretariat in Abuja by 2:30pm in a Black Land Cruiser with registration number BWA 768 AM, for hours over the allegations.
Jibrin has been alleging in the last three weeks that the Speaker, Hon. Dogora, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yusuf Lasun and the Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor padded the 2016 Budget to the tune of N20 billion.
The allegation has been a source embarrassment to the National Assembly and leadership of the party as the former Appropriation chairman was Tuesday summoned to the National Headquarters of the party in Abuja to face the party disciplinary committee chaired by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuiabu.
Other members of the Committee that were at the meeting were, National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, National Treasurer Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa, National Vice Chairman, North West, Inuwa Abdulkadir among others.
In his brief speech to the media after the closed door meeting, the Deputy National Chairman of the party said, “In respect of what is going on in the house of representatives which you people know more than all of us but I was asking him to come and brief the party, honestly speaking we never thought it would be covered by the media.
“I, that summoned him, the National Secretary of the party and the National Vice Chairman of his zone sat down to discuss it. There is nothing like passing any judgment on any member of the party, we only play our role as the umpire in this matter to see how we can create some atmosphere of peace and unity among our members.
“I was reading today in your paper that we called him to discipline him, discipline him on what? Whatever happens in the House of Representatives or the Senate under the Constitution and their rules, they are immune.”
