Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, now Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s many troubles continue as the House of Representatives has now resolved to sue him for alleged perjury and defamation of the parliament.
Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila disclosed this at the opening of plenary.
He said; “Last Tuesday, I issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to substantiate his allegation that over 60 per cent of contracts awarded by the 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 NDDC.”
“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 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.”
“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.”
For those who don’t know, Akpabio had on Monday, July 20th, 2020 when he appeared before the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at an investigative hearing, alleged that members of the National Assembly got 60 per cent of contracts from the commission.
