The management team of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, led by acting Managing Director of the Commission which staged a walked out on lawmakers at an investigative hearing put together by the House of Representatives has been issued with a warrant of arrest for contempt of parliament.
The Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission Interim Management Committee, led by Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, walked out on the legislators probing the alleged N40 billion irregular expenditure in the commission. He had alleged on camera that the House Committee Chairman on the NDDC, Hon Olubunmi Ojo was biased against the Commission and therefore, “should not be an umpire in a probe that he is an interested party.”
He said: “We in the NDDC are not comfortable with the Chairman of this committee, presiding over the matter. He is an interested party and we do not believe that the NDDC can have justice because he cannot seat on his own case.”
“We have no issue of appearing, we appeared before the Senate ad hoc committee and as long as he remains, we will not make any presentation,”
But a member of the Committee, Shehu Koko cautioned the MD repeatedly and warned him not to personalize the issues, saying he should not decide how the House should conduct its affairs.
Koko said: “If you have anything against the Chairman you can go to EFCC (Economic Financial Crimes Commission), ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) or any of the security outfits to lay your complaints but as far as the rules of this House is concerned, you can not come here and decide how we should conduct our affairs. The rules of the parliament stand, nobody can dictate to us here because this is not the matter in question.” But a determined Pondi
Moving the motion to issue a warrant of arrest on NDDC IMC, House Spokesman, Benjamin Kalu commended the Committee members for the maturity exhibited in the face of provocation by the NDDC Managing Director.
Kalu said: “I want to refer this Committee as well as the invited guests to section 60 which says that, the Senate or the House of Representatives shall have powers to regulate its own procedure. It is within the parameters of the law that the House regulates its activities, this is a Committee affair and not a personalised affair.
“I want to move that this Committee invokes the provisions of section 89 of the Constitution and invoke our powers on a warrant of arrest to compel the agency to come and answer how they have administered the money appropriated to them.”
