The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has berated last Tuesday’s allegation by Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio that Members of the National Assembly were the majority beneficiaries of contracts given by the NDDC, a parastatal under his ministry.

This is as a result of the apparent failure of Akpabio to come up with facts before the expiry of the ultimatum the Speaker gave the Minister. In a statement made this afternoon by Gbajabiamila, the Speaker flayed Akpabio for what he called an attempt to avoid the scrutiny on his scandal-riven ministry. Below is the text of the statement by Speaker Gbajabiamila.

“Last Tuesday I issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to substantiate his allegation that over 60% (sixty per cent) of contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) went to members of the National Assembly. I said then that the Honourable Minister owed it to himself and the country to provide evidence to support these serious allegations.

The Honourable Minister has failed to respond to my request. Therefore, I must conclude that his statement intended solely to gaslight the nation to avoid accountability for the evident maladministration and malfeasance in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

In my time in the House of Representatives, I have held every leadership position from Minority Whip, through to Minority Leader, Leader of the House (Majority Leader) and now Speaker. I recognise that the House has not always lived up to the high expectations of the Nigerian people. As much as we still have a lot to do in that regard, I refuse to sit here in good conscience and allow anyone to assassinate the character of the House in an attempt to deflect accountability for their conduct in office. Such mendacity as was witnessed at the public hearing will not be tolerated from anybody no matter how highly placed.

This morning, I asked the Clerk of the House of Representatives to engage the services of legal counsel, and instruct them to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury against the Minister. At the same time, we will instruct counsel to explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit against the Minister.

The House of Representatives is a public trust placed in our care for the duration of our term in office. We must prove ourselves worthy of this public trust or risk the censure of history.

Therefore, we will resist every attempt to undermine this institution, whether such attempts come from within or from outside. This House will live up to the highest expectations of the Nigerian people. This is our commitment, and we will not fail.”

It remains to be seen how Akpabio would react to this latest development. Stay tuned to The Lagosian.