Former Appropriation Committee Leader Abdulmumin Jibrin asks Dogara to Resign

The former House Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation in the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has called on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara to resign.

Jibrin made this assertion in a series of tweets on his Twitter timeline accusing  Dogara and other leaders of the Lower Chamber of Corruption and essentially making an attempt to stuff the 2016 Budget.

“I strongly believe with every conviction that in cleaning up the budgeting system and considering what transpired during 2016 budget which I have all the facts documented, Speaker Dogara, Deputy Speaker Lasun, Whip Doguwa and minority Leader Leo Ogor should resign,” he said

See the tweets below.

I am obliged to make further statement after listening to the full statement of Speaker Dogara on why I had to leave as Chair. Appropriation

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

It is a fact I went up to the Speaker and told him clearly I wanted to leave.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

He confirmed this in his statement but it appeared he wished he had fired me instead of my personal decision to step down.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Thereafter I proceeded to my office.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I was therefore not surprised when an aide of mine walked into my office to inform me that the Speaker had announced my departure.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I was relieved and went straight to address the press and released a statement.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

It was only later in the evening while monitoring the news that I watched the full statement he made on the floor.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Speaker Dogara’s statement was a complete misrepresentation of the facts, false, mischievous, unfair

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ and a calculated attempt to bring my name to disrepute, blackmail, silence and use me as a scape goat.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

The plan is to execute it just before the recess so that by the time we return I would have been buried and the issue forgotten.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Mr Speaker, this will never be swept under the carpet. We are closing for recess with it &we shall commence the next session with this issue

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

This was the last option they had after every attempt to find something to nail me failed.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

It is a known fact that I am a very blunt person by nature. I don’t know how to pretend.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I don’t do eye service neither will I ever be a sycophant. I don’t give returns. I just do my job faithfully and dedicatedly.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

My offence was asserting my independence and insisting that we do the right thing at all times and expose corrupt people in the House.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Lately I openly disagreed with some principal officers on the issue of immunity for Lawmakers and budget issues.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I still maintain, I will never support immunity.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I strongly believe with every conviction that in cleaning up the budgeting system and considering what transpired during 2016 budget /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ which I have all the facts documented, Speaker Dogara, Deputy Speaker Lasun, Whip Doguwa and minority Leader Leo Ogor should resign.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

These members of the body of principal officers were not comfortable with my independent disposition /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ and my refusal to cover up their unilateral decision to allocate to themselves 40bn naira out of the 100bn allocated to the entire NASS.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

The 4 of them met & took that decision.In addition to billions of wasteful projects running over 20bn they allocated to their constituencies

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

They must come out clean.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

My inability to admit into the budget almost N30bn personal requests from Mr. Speaker & the 3 other principal officers also became an issue.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I have every documented evidence to this effect.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

After the submission of the first version of the budget which was returned by Mr. President, I briefed members in executive session/

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ and told them as agreed at our pre budget meeting with chairmen and deputy chairmen of standing committees /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ we simply adopted their reports with little amendments. Nobody faulted my submission.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Since after that meeting, Mr Speaker with the suport of the three other principal officers effectively blocked me from briefing members /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ensured I was not at the last executive session and refused to investigate issues I raised /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/that I believe must be addressed if we intend to build a better budget system for the House.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I gave Mr. Speaker statistics of 2000 new projects introduced into the budget by less than 10 committee chairmen /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/without the knowledge of their committee members he did nothing about it because he was part of the mess /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ yet he is talking about improving the budget system.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I did nothing wrong. I worked within the rules of the House and instructions of Mr. Speaker.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

During the budget period, Mr. President graciously granted myself and Sen. Goje audience. It was a very good meeting.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Speaker Dogara took it extremely personal that we saw the president without his knowledge /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/and went on to scuttle all our efforts to help the president during the budget process /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ because he wanted to be seen by the president as the only good man.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

He forgot that he sees heads of MDA’s daily which he enjoys doing more than his job as Speaker for reasons best known to him anyway /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ without Mr. President’s knowledge.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

That is how petty and narrow minded Dogara can be. A coward, hypocrite and pretender of the highest order.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Mr President must be very careful with him.

He wines with Mr. President and dines with Mr. President’s enemies.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I’m glad that I am finally free from his emotional blackmail of constantly trying to make me see my appointment as chairman as a favour.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

He has failed to realise that I came a long way & even attained chairman finance when he was chairman House services before this appointment

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Seeing as the Speaker claimed that they have taken the decision or were going to take a decision to replace me /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ he now has a responsibility to tell the world why they took or were going to take such decision.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I challenge them to tell the world why? I will be releasing a more detailed statement in due course.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Meanwhile, I intend to explore all internal avenues of the House to brief my colleagues in detail /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ and testify against Speaker Dogara, Deputy Lasun, Whip Doguwa and Minority leader Leo Ogor on why they should resign.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

If I am not allowed to exercise my privilege, I shall consider legal options.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I can no longer bear the brunt of abuses and baseless allegations /

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

/ keeping quiet all in the name of “confidentiality” expected of an appropriation chairman.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

I will not allow anybody no matter how highly placed to destroy my life as intended by the full statement of Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016

Now Nigerians will see clearly the ulterior motive behind the desperate moves for immunity for principal officers of the National Assembly.

— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) July 21, 2016