…Senate Gives Seplat, Network E&P, Two Others 48 Hours to Appear Over NEITI Queries

Senator Abdul Ningi on Tuesday declared that the National Assembly was not an appendage of the Executive, warning government agencies and corporate organisations against undermining the legislature’s constitutional powers to demand accountability.

Ningi, representing Bauchi Central and a member of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, spoke against the backdrop of the committee’s decision to give Seplat Energy Plc, Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited and Aradel Energy Limited 48 hours to appear before it over queries contained in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 audit reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, threatened to invoke its legislative powers against the companies if their Managing Directors failed to appear within the stipulated period.

Ningi’s warning followed the absence of the Managing Director of Seplat Energy from the proceedings, with company representatives explaining that he was unavoidably engaged in another official assignment.

The senator, however, said such explanations could not diminish the authority of the legislature or its constitutional mandate to conduct oversight.

“It is very important for all of us to understand the role of this body. The National Assembly, as an institution, has a constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight over the Executive, which is headed by the President and Commander-in-Chief.

“I want this to be placed on record: this Parliament is not an appendage of the Executive.”

Ningi said the Constitution had vested the National Assembly with clearly defined oversight powers which must be respected by government agencies, officials and private organisations operating within the country.

“If you look at the Constitution, you will understand how important the legislature is. The Constitution has vested this institution with oversight powers, not only over government agencies but, in certain circumstances, over the Executive itself,” he said.

The senator expressed concern over what he described as a growing tendency by some organisations and officials to disregard legislative invitations.

“We do not understand why some people are no longer taking the legislature seriously. The powers of the National Assembly are constitutionally guaranteed and should not be undermined.”

He stressed that legislative invitations were part of the accountability mechanisms embedded in Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.

“This is why we are insisting on accountability. Representatives of organisations and agencies come before us, interact with us and listen to the issues we raise. What we are seeking is transparency, accountability and the protection of the public interest,” Ningi said.

Network E&P Under Fire

Ningi’s position was reinforced during the proceedings when Network E&P Nigeria Limited reportedly informed the committee that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) was the regulatory body to which it was accountable.

The senator described the position as disturbing and provocative, insisting that regulatory oversight by NUPRC did not exempt the company from answering questions from the National Assembly.

He cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution as empowering the National Assembly to summon individuals, organisations and agencies to provide explanations on matters within its oversight jurisdiction.

“The Senate and, by extension, the National Assembly, is the custodian of Nigerian law that has the power to invite anybody or agency for explanations on issues raised against them,” he said.

Senator Shehu Kaka Lawan, representing Borno Central, backed Ningi and called for the committee to invoke its constitutional powers against companies that repeatedly failed to honour its invitations.

Dankwambo subsequently directed the Managing Director of Network E&P to appear before the committee on Thursday.

“Having failed to honour the invitation of this committee two consecutive times, the Managing Director of Network E&P Nigeria Limited should appear before us unfailingly on Thursday this week or risk full invocation of legislative powers against him,” Dankwambo said.

Similar 48-hour ultimatums were issued to the Managing Directors of Seplat Energy, All Grace Energy and Aradel Energy.

Dubri Oil Disputes $3.025m Liability
While the four companies were ordered to appear, Dubri Oil Company Limited, which honoured the committee’s invitation, rejected a $3.025 million royalty and gas-flare liability attributed to it in the NEITI audit report.

According to the report, information supplied by NUPRC in 2025 indicated that Dubri Oil owed $3.025 million, comprising $2.378 million in gas-flare obligations and $646,605.55 relating to oil production.

However, Dubri Oil’s representative, Soyode Olusoji Clement, disputed the figures, explaining that the liability resulted from a reconciliation issue between the company and NUPRC when the information was compiled.

He told the committee that the reconciliation had since been concluded and that no outstanding debt remained against the company.

Clement subsequently submitted documents to the committee to support the company’s position.

The committee said it would critically examine the documents before determining whether Dubri Oil should be cleared of the liabilities contained in the NEITI report.

The proceedings underscored a broader struggle over legislative oversight and accountability, with Ningi’s declaration that the National Assembly is “not an appendage of the Executive” setting the tone for the committee’s increasingly assertive posture towards oil companies and other entities appearing before it.

For the lawmakers, the issue is not merely about compliance with summons but about preserving the constitutional balance between the Executive and Legislature and ensuring that public revenue and other matters of national interest remain subject to parliamentary scrutiny.