Senate says democracy under threat as SGF shuns invitation

The Senate on Wednesday raised the alarm that the failure of the executive to answer legislative summons would end democracy in the country.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, stated this in an interview with The PUNCH, while reacting to a letter written by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal.

The SGF, in the letter to the upper chamber on Wednesday, said he had dragged the Senate to court over a probe into the alleged management of funds meant for the rehabilitation of the North-East.

Lawal, in the letter to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, said he would not appear before the probe panel on Thursday (today) as he had filed processes in court. The letter was sighted on Wednesday by our correspondent.

The SGF’s letter came the same day the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), failed to honour the Senate invitation.

The upper chamber had ordered Ali to appear before it on Wednesday (yesterday), in the NCS uniform.
But the Customs boss shunned the invitation, citing a suit filed by a lawyer, Mohammed Ibrahim and advice of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, as reasons.

The PUNCH learnt that the some senators were irked on Wednesday when the Senate received a letter from another member of the executive (the SGF).

When contacted, the Senate spokesman told our correspondent he was not aware of the letter written by the SGF.

He, however, stated that the trend of public officials refusing to answer legislative summons was becoming a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

Punch, March 23, 2017

 

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