ABDULMUMIN Jibrin, the suspended lawmaker had last week gave his colleagues in the House of Representatives three days to return all questionable allowances they paid themselves.
Mr. Jibrin accused his colleagues of raking in millions in illegal allowances, and after he indicted himself as having received N650 million illegally.
To return their loot, Mr. Jibrin advised his colleagues to individually approach the appropriate authority and make arrangement on how to pay everything back into the federal purse.
Mr. Jibrin said any lawmaker who fails to heed his call should be prepared for the backlash that would follow when he publishes details of how such official perpetrated the fraud.
Mr. Jibrin’s statement came a day after he was suspended by the House for 180 legislative days —approximately a full calendar year as the House sits three times a week— after being found guilty of violating House ethics and lawmakers’ privileges.
“I have written to the Clerk of the National Assembly to stand by in anticipation."
“In the face of the revenue challenges and biting hardship the country is currently facing, there is no better time the country needs such money than now,” he said in a statement last week.
Mr. Jibrin said he resolved to take this action after receiving numerous enquiries from different corners on the need for him to back his allegations against the House leadership and other lawmakers with evidence.
“I have come under intense public scrutiny and pressure to prove that there exists systemic corruption in the House,” Mr. Jibrin said.
Mr. Jibrin said he was specifically demanding the return of a N10 million illegal allowances his colleagues allocated to themselves while the poor were struggling to make ends meet.
Hon. Jibrin via his Twitter handle yesterday said, "as I promised and gave a 72-hours ultimatum to the Principal Officers and one week to other members, I have forwarded to the Anti-graft agencies first batch of 50 members of the House that are involved in running cost allowances fraud."
He said for the Job to be easier for the EFCC, he will be releasing the names in batches - of 50 members each - until the list is exhausted.
The first batch includes Speaker Dogara, Deputy Lasun, Whip Alhassan Doguwa, Minority Leader Leo Ogor, Hon Herma Hembe, Hon Jagaba Adams Hon Timothy Golu, Hon Yunusa Abubakar, Hon Mukaila O Kazzim, Hon Lynda Ikpeazu, Hon Abdulrazak Namdas, Hon Osai Nicolas among others.
He said after the EFCC might have concluded their investigation the world will know whether he lied or told the truth on systemic corruption in the House of Representatives.
As an insider, he urged Nigerians to be vigilant, adding that he knows how the House usually respond to issues.
“As you have started noticing, many investigative hearings and ad hoc committees are springing up like mushrooms.
“The investigative hearings are intended to blackmail the executive arm and coax them not to act on the allegations and the ad hoc committees are used to settle aggrieved members as it provides avenues to collect bribes.
“You will also see irrational grandstanding over approval of MTEF/FSP and the budget or correspondence from the President," he said.
Revealing further, Jibrin alleged that "these are legislative antics employed by the House to use the institution of the House to shield corrupt members.
“This is exactly what Speaker Yakubu Dogara and his corrupt cabal are executing presently in the House.
“The EFCC and the Police has severally been victims of this kind of tactics by the House in the past to frustrate corruption investigation.
“Nigerians and the Executive arm of Govt must stand up against any blackmail from the House of Reps as they are all antics to evade justice.
"The Senate and the Executive arm of government can rely on doctrine of necessity to bypass the House in the face of such grievous allegations which has been described as the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the parliaments in Africa and the world.
"Finally, I wish to call on the Federal Govt to make me face the harshest penalty prescribed by our laws if my allegations are found to be false."
SOURCE
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