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Senate divided over Lamode probe
The Senate on Wednesday was divided over plan to probe the chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, over
alleged complicity in the diversion of funds amounting to N1 trillion.
A group of senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis
of Unity Forum and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus have risen
against the decision of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and
Public Petitions to investigate the chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, over alleged diversion of N1
trillion recovered by the commission.
In a statement jointly signed by Senators Ahmed Lawan, George Akume, Abu
Ibrahim and Barnabas Gemade, the APC senators said on Wednesday that for a
petition to be discussed in the Senate or House of Representatives, it must
be channelled through a member of the House of Representatives or a senator.
“In standard parliamentary practice, a petition is routed through either a
senator or member of the House of Representatives. Upon receipt of such
petition, the representative will inform the presiding officer of the
chamber and, thereafter, present the petition in the plenary.
“Thereafter the presiding officer will refer the matter to the appropriate
committee upon which it will be returned to the Senate in plenary,” said
the senators.
Quoting Rule 41 (1-3) of the Senate Standing Order, the senators explained
how petitions are handled in parliament, saying, “A senator presenting a
petition shall confine himself to a brief statement of the parties from
whom it came, the number of signatures attached to it and the material
allegations contained in it and to reading the prayers of such petitions.
“All petitions shall be, without question being put, ordered to lie upon
the table. Such petitions shall be referred to the Public Petitions
Committee.”
The APC senators further stated that none of the foregoing rules was
followed in handling the petition against the EFCC, and that they only read
in the newspapers that the Senator Samuel Anywanu-led Committee on Ethics,
Privileges and Public Petitions would commence a probe of the EFCC chairman.
At the commencement of the probe on Wednesday, a representative of the
EFCC, said the commission had no confidence in the Ethics, Privileges and
Public Petitions Committee of the Senate, saying the committee lacked
objectivity and that it was unlikely that it would get a fair hearing.
The commission said a delegation sent to observe the proceedings was walked
out by the members of the committee on the pretext that the commission had
earlier written that it would not be present at the hearing.
It was learnt that the petitioner, George Ugbo, was midway into his
presentation when EFCC’s Director of Legal and Prosecution, Chile Okoroma,
arrived, raising objection that it was not in the tradition of the Senate
to conduct hearing with only one party present.
Responding on behalf of the committee, the chairman of the Senate Committee
on Information, Dino Melaye, reportedly said the committee was at liberty
to adopt any procedure it considers suitable, claiming that the EFCC was
not expected at the hearing, having written to be excused.
The Senate committee, however, proceeded to read the letter from the EFCC,
where the commission asked for another date to be present at the hearing
but omitted the portion where the commission disclosed that the petitioner
is an accused under prosecution by the commission on fraud charges.
Mr. Okoroma insisted that it amounted to lack of fair hearing for the
proceedings to continue in the absence of the EFCC, while also observing
that the documents presented to the committee by the petitioner were not
made available to the commission.
In the light of the foregoing, the EFCC representative noted that the
narration by Mr. Uboh only contained reference to the EFCC and not Mr.
Lamorde even though the hearing was advertised as a probe of Mr. Lamorde.
It was, however, learnt that Mr. Uboh, who allegedly converted properties
belonging to the Police Equipment Fund, is standing trial before Justice J,
Aladetoyinbo of the FCT High Court on three counts of fraud (FRN v George
Uboh CR/12/09).
