The House of Representatives has called for sanction against Mr Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and six Area Council Chairmen over insubordination and disregard for the House.
Rep. Ikonne Ifeanyi, a member of the House Committee on FCT Area Council and Ancillary, made the demand during the committee’s meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that it was a show of disrespect and lack of regard for the House that the Minister and his council chairmen refused to appear before the House after they were needed on invitation.
“Why must we invite someone here and they are given us the date they will appear? What about the risk people took to be there? We should not be seen pleading for them to appear before us.
“My own decision is that they should be the ones to look for us. If we don’t stop this arrogance, it will not stop.
“Henceforth, we will not approve anything for both the minister and the area council chairmen, and as a matter of fact, we will tell the president to remove Wike as the FCT minister.
“I hereby move as a motion to bring this to the floor of the house for them to come and explain why they are not honoring our invitation,” he said.
Rep. Fredrick Agbedi, the chairman of the committee, said he viewed the action of the minister and the council chairmen as a breach of their constitutional responsibilities and a disservice to the people they serve.
“The committee’s oversight function is essential to ensuring accountability and good governance, and this refusal to honour our invitation undermines these efforts.
He said that the six area council chairmen had not flagged-off, completed or commissioned any project in the area councils, unlike the Minister.
“This is appalling considering the huge monthly allocation running into billions of Naira to each of the six area councils in the last one year and beyond.
He said the committee, would not hesitate to invoke its power to ensure that the area council operate in the best interest of the people.
Also speaking, Rep. Adesola Adebayo (APC-Lagos), a member of the committee, said that the function to oversee the activities of the council areas resides in the House.
He said as former council chairman of Apapa Local Government in Lagos State, the chairmen should know that they are extensions of the state House.
He stated that no chairman dares not to appear before the state House of Assembly because they have the power to remove them.
The lawmaker said that he considered the attitude of the area council chairmen as an affront on the House of Representatives for them to have been invited and they refused to come.
“They were fully invited but wrote a letter within an hour saying that they would not be coming.
We should apply the maximum pressure on them; they should be accountable to the legislature.
“It is disrespectful and disregardful for the House of Representatives for them not to have shown up,’’ he said.
The committee said that the FCT minister and the council chairmen see them as their house boys, saying that such would not be tolerated.
Rep. Nurudeen Abbas (PDP-Oyo), however, suggested that the minister and the council chairmen should be given the last chance.
“Let’s communicate with them again, and if they fail to appear again, then we should sanction them.
Rep. Sada Soli (APC-Katsina) asked that members be break into a close session to discuss further. (NAN)
By Femi Ogunshola
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