We will make names of 419 senators public, says Senate - Reps demand for public hearing

Taiwo Adisa and Idowu Samuel, Abuja - 25.01.2008

CHAIRMAN of Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, has said that the Senate will make public the report of the investigation being conducted by its Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the allegations by Senator Nuhu Aliyu that some fraudsters are in the National Assembly.

Senator Aliyu had, while contributing to the motion by Senator Sola Akinyede on the developments at the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said that some lawmakers in the National Assembly were fraudsters who had been investigated by the police.
When Senator Eze raised a point of order asking the Senate President to compel Senator Aliyu to name the alleged fraudsters in the National Assembly, the Niger senator declared that he was ready to name one.

But the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, who presided over the sitting, asked that the matter be referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges and asked Senator Aliyu to present the names of the alleged culprits to the committee.

While addressing newsmen in the Senate on Thursday, Senator Eze said that the Senate President did not deliberately protect the image of the alleged culprits, but that it was only proper that the reputation of an innocent person was not damaged.

“About some people that are alleged to have some shady records. It was a tribute to the Senate President’s experience and his maturity that we didn’t allow our colleague to call names on the floor, for the simple reason that if he did so, there is every possibility that he could call somebody who is innocent and you and I know that when you tar somebody with the brush of criminality or malfeasance, it will stick in the eyes and the minds of the people.

“So, it is better we take the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee where both the accuser and the accused will have opportunity to defend themselves, to trade tackles which they ordinarily will not be opportune to do in the emotive atmosphere which the debate took place yesterday.”

He said that the Senate would make public the names of whoever might be named by the committee at the end of its investigation. The House of Representatives had earlier on Thursday expressed anger at the Senate’s decision to stop Senator Aliyu from naming members of the two chambers of the National Assembly he said were fraudsters.

Against this background, the House adopted a motion which directed its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the allegation by the senator for the purpose of redeeming the image of the National Assembly.

The committee, which has two weeks to conduct the investigation and make recommendations, was mandated to invite Senator Aliyu to substantiate his allegation against National Assembly members.

The Speaker of the House, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, who summed up the arguments by members against the allegation by Senator Aliyu, said “heads would roll” in the light of planned investigations into the allegations by the House.

Bankole Said “we are not in a 100 meters dash, we are in for a long distance race. In doing so, we shall get to the root of the matter and heads would roll. This is the House of Representatives.”

Hardly had the House resumed for its plenary session for the day when Honourable Halims Agoda called the attention of his colleagues to newspaper reports on the allegation by Senator Aliyu.

He said he was uncomfortable with the reports which he said suggested that the National Assembly was a haven for those engaging in advance fee fraud and moved a motion to ensure that the names of fraudulent lawmakers were made public.Agoda moved the motion under matters of urgent national importance, citing Order 5 of the House Rules and insisted that the image of the entire National Assembly and that of their members would continue to remain dented unless those suspected as fraudulent members were rooted out.

Representatives who spoke on the motion unanimously condemned the Senate President for referring the allegation by Senator Aliyu to the Senate’s Ethics and Privileges Committee rather than allowing him to name names even when he was ready to do so.

Honourable Terngu Tsegba from Benue State said it would be dangerous for the National Assembly to sweep the allegation by the senator aside in view of the implications for the image of members.

Tsegba recalled that the House had recorded a case of expulsion of one of its members, the late Honourable Morris Ibekwe, after he was arrested by the EFCC for alleged fraudulent activities and detained. The lawmaker died in detention.

He equally recalled that a member, Honourable Paschal Adigwe, had also been accused of collecting $25,000 from certain individuals under the pretext of organising a seminar which he said never took place.

Tsegba said he would be at peace if the allegation by the senator was properly investigated and those found to be fraudsters removed from the National Assembly. He said the investigation should cover the cases of members known to have forged certificates and academic record to get elected into the National Assembly.