I5 months after suspension over alleged budget padding, Jibrin meets Buhari in secret

The embattled House of Representatives member and its former chairman on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who was suspended about 15 months ago, on Thursday, met President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jibrin, who represents Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, was suspended by the Reps on September 28, 2016 for alleging that the principal officers of the lower chamber of the National Assembly criminally made insertions into the 2016 budget.

Although Jibrin refused to give details of the meeting with the President when he was accosted by State House correspondents after the visit, speculations are rife that the visit may have been to seek Buhari’s intervention in his travails.

The much Jibrin could divulge about the meeting was that it was a meeting between “a son and a father,” adding, “As you are aware, I have not seen the President for a while now. It was a meeting between a son and a father.”

Upon further probing if the meeting was to have Buhari intervene in his ordeal with the lawmakers he said, “I cannot comment in that regard. The most important is that I saw him and he was in a very high spirit. I greeted like a son and he spoke to me like a father.”

Meanwhile, Jibrin insisted that his suspension was illegal, noting that his constituency had been denied representation for about 16 months now.

READ ALSO: Bury hope of return to power, you’ll spend above 16 years as opposition, ex-Gov Oni tells PDP

While he said that he had learnt lessons from the matter as people always learn from experiences, he wondered how Senator Ali Ndume that had a similar issue with him had been recalled to the Senate, but the House was yet to deem it fit to recall him.

“That is the interesting thing about the situation. The same case, similar case, identical case was dispensed with within two months but mine is still hanging in the court system.

“But again, I know the Nigerian judiciary is just, so, I’m pretty sure that soonest, I will be able to get judgment and my constituency will soon get back to the house.”

 

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