Dominic warns against politicising investigation

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) of prejudging issues already before the courts.

The rights group warned that its conduct could undermine the rule of law and public confidence in legislative oversight.

It also faulted the continued detention of the principal suspect in the matter, Adeyemi, saying that his absence from the committee’s proceedings denied him the opportunity to defend himself against allegations levelled against him in public.

In a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA alleged that the committee’s handling of the investigation gave the impression that conclusions had been reached before all parties were heard.

According to the organisation, what took place during the panel’s recent sitting “was not a genuine legislative oversight exercise but a carefully choreographed political spectacle apparently designed to manufacture a predetermined narrative and shield highly placed public officials from searching scrutiny.”

The group said that the speed with which the committee reportedly dismissed Adeyemi’s appointment letter as fake and made pronouncements on the authenticity of documents raised questions about the impartiality of the investigation.

“This is not legislative oversight. It is legislative overreach. This is not accountability. It is, in our view, an attempt to influence public perception while judicial proceedings remain pending,” the statement said.

HURIWA maintained that the National Assembly should not conduct its proceedings in a manner capable of prejudicing matters that are already before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The organisation, which also criticised the Nigeria Police Force over its failure to produce Adeyemi before the committee despite repeated requests, describing the explanation offered by the police as unsatisfactory, said that the continued detention of the suspect and his absence from the hearings raised concerns about due process and fair hearing as guaranteed under Section 36 of the Constitution.

It, however, urged the House of Representatives to refrain from making further public pronouncements that could prejudice pending judicial proceedings and allow the courts to determine the issues before them without interference.

MEANWHILE, the President and Convener of the Civil Society Groups for Good Governance, Ogaku Dominic, has warned that concluding the House of Representatives’ probe into the controversial PFIPC without hearing from key individuals linked to the case would politicise the investigation and weaken public confidence in its outcome.

Dominic, while speaking during an interview with Arise TV News yesterday, said that the probe alone was insufficient to uncover the full extent of the alleged fraud surrounding the purported government agency.

He maintained that Nigerians deserved to hear directly from all those alleged to have played a role in the matter before any investigation was concluded.

Dominic said limiting the inquiry to a parliamentary investigation would not deliver justice.

“You cannot conclude this kind of matter without necessarily bringing the culprits on board or the people who have been alleged to have been involved in it on board. We need to hear from them. Nigerians deserve to hear directly from them,” he said.

Dominic further argued that the investigation risked being viewed as politically influenced if it ends without obtaining testimony from those central to the allegations.

He also reacted to the admission by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before granting approvals linked to the agency, saying acknowledging the error should not end the matter.

He, however, advocated the establishment of an independent investigative panel, supported by forensic investigators, to examine the matter without political interference.