The House of Representatives has apologised to Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for misconstruing his ruling on the case brought by the Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The minister was seeking the court’s leave to stop the House Committee on Public Accounts from investigating alleged N10 billion expenses she incurred on chartering jets for private use with public funds.
Addressing reporters at the weekend, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Victor Ogene, said the position of the House was misinterpreted.
Ogene said: “The position of the House at no time was that the court had stopped the committee from functioning. But as it turned out, it was misread to mean that an injunction restraining the committee from carrying out its assignment has been handed out.
“In the light of that, we wish to correct that impression and to say that at no time did Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, issue a restraining order on the House.
“And so, we are sorry for that slip, whichever way it came from; more importantly, to also thank the judge for standing up on the side of justice – at the last, hearing that matter. He refused to grant any injunction restraining the House from going ahead with its business.”
The lawmaker said the House, under the Constitution, has the power to look into the affairs of the Minister of Petroleum Resources as long as she is a public officer and spends funds voted by the National Assembly.
He said: “Some people …have insinuated that the House does not have the right to actually carry on with its responsibilities. And they read parts of the constitution in isolation.
“For anyone who wants to get the correct picture, Sections 88 and 89, when you take both sections, you would come to the easy conclusion that the House is empowered to look into any matter on which it has legislative competence or for which it has appropriated money.”
Ogene said one benefit of the contestation “is that the position of the law remains that no man or woman is above the law”.
According to him, the House of Representatives will not shirk its responsibility at ensuring the proper utilisation of funds appropriated to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and that though every Nigerian or any other resident in Nigeria is at liberty to go to court, “there is a difference between an individual and an official of the state”.
Ogene added: “So, acting in your personal capacity is different from seeking to stop Ministries, Departments and Agencies from being answerable to the Nigerian people. Indeed, any life not worth examining is not worth living. The essence of democracy is to ensure that we examine ourselves.”
On April 28, through its spokesperson, Zakari Mohammed, the House said it had been served with a court notice which was received through the Office of the Speaker.
Mohammed said the House would have to tarry and get legal opinion on the issue before beginning the investigation, which was earlier scheduled to begin on that same date.
But Justice Ahmed Mohammed gave the House the nod to continue the case, saying he did not give a restraining injunction to stop the investigation.
Alison-Madueke: Reps apologise to judge over N10b chartered jets case
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