Why I went to the police over budget padding allegations – Gbajabiamila

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Friday, explained why he submitted himself to the police for investigation over allegations of budget padding rocking the House.

Gbajabiamila, who said he demanded that the police thoroughly investigate his role in the budget padding saga, said he took the decision because there had been insinuations that though his name was not mentioned by the former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, in his budget-padding allegations against four principal officers, he (Gbajabiamila) could not have been exonerated.

The lawmaker stated this in a statement on Friday.

It would be recalled that Jibrin had named the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa and Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor as those who participated in the padding of the 2016 budget.

The lawmaker representing Surulere Federal Constituency of Lagos State, also confirmed that the decision to sack Jibrin was collectively taken by the leadership of the House.

Read also: Jibrin in trouble as Gbajabiamila, others join forces with Dogara

According to him, he attended a principal officers’ meeting on Thursday, where all the officers signed a joint statement to disown Jibrin. He however said he gave a condition before signing the statement that he would want his alleged role in the budget padding to be investigated.

He also added that it was important for him to go to the police because there have been reports that he was one of those backing Jibrin in his onslaught against the leadership of the House.

In the statement, Gbajabiamila said he called the Speaker a day before his return from a three-week break to the United States that there should be an urgent meeting address the several allegations made by Jibrin, and that at the meeting, the principal officers stated their innocence.

“A prepared text was read and we all agreed to sign. The decision to relieve Hon. Jibrin was indeed a collective decision, which I was a part of. I told them I would submit myself, on my own volition, to the police for investigation to clear my name,” he said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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