N10bn Jet Probe: Reps To Appeal Stoppage Of Alison-Madueke’s Probe

House of Representatives In Session (Inset: Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke) Photo: New Telegraph

The House of Representatives is to appeal against the judgement of an Abuja High Court nullifying the invitation to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before the investigative committee probing the N10 billion spent on jet hire and maintenance, New Telegraph reports.

Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, at the weekend described the judgement as “shocking and disturbing,” expressing hope that the House’s lawyers would appeal appropriately. “We viewed that judgement with shock and it is disturbing. But I believe our lawyers are studying the judgement and will definitely appeal against the judgement,” he added.

According to Mohammed, if the judgement is allowed to stand, it will amount to preventing the House from exercising its constitutional responsibility. “One of the principal functions of the House is oversight and if the court is saying we cannot invite a minister of the government to give account of her stewardship, then there is something wrong with that.

“The House is only performing one of its primary responsibilities. We are not witch-hunting anyone,” he stated. The Abuja High Court had last week set aside the letter of invitation sent by the House to Alison- Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to appear before its investigative panel over allegations that they spent N10 billion hiring a private jet. Determined not to honour several invitations extended to them by the House, the minister and NNPC had approached the court, praying it to restrain the legislature from probing allegations that they spent over N10 billion on a chartered aircraft.

In his judgement, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, held that the House has the constitutional and statutory power to summon any public officer irrespective of his or her position to appear before it to render an account of how he or she has managed public property in his or her care.

But he ruled that it was wrong to argue that the House could not summon the minister without the consent of the president on matter relating to a private jet, stating that the issue of private jet is not of such confidentiality and therefore not among issues that she needed to obtain permission from the president before responding to. The judge, however, held that the legislature, in exercise of its power to summon, must comply with its own rules, else its summon becomes invalid and nugatory.

The judge held that the House did not follow due process in inviting the plaintiffs’ in this instant case The court also held that the House ought to have presented before the court the resolution of the meeting published in a gazette or a journal where it agreed to invite the minister and NNPC.