By Haruna Salami
The House of Representatives committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, to arrest and probe the Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Professor Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, for what it described as ‘Contempt of the legislature’.
The Committee had summoned the Interim Management Committee (IMC) to make presentation at the on-going investigative hearing into the “financial recklessness” at the Commission.
It was established from the previous sitting that the IMC spent N81.5 billion from the coffers of the Commission from February to May 2020 without due process.
However, when summoned to clear the IMC of allegation, Pondei said he had no confidence in the chairman of the House Committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, adding that he would not speak before the panel.
When members of the committee told Pondei that he could not dictate to the National Assembly how to run its oversight functions, he walked out on the committee.
Irked by the action of the acting Managing Director, the spokesman of the House, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, moved a motion, invoking section 89 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), to issue a warrant of arrest, which was was seconded and passed.
The Committee also passed a vote of confidence on Rep. Tunji-Ojo, saying his integrity and those of other members of the committee was not in question.
The Committee, however, continued with the investigative hearing.
