Name National Assembly members sponsoring terrorism, Reps challenges Buhari
The House of Representatives, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to expose National Assembly members he alleged were sponsoring terrorism in the country and prosecute any individual found wanting.
The lawmakers said it was wrong to make a blanket accusation against the legislative arm of government without substantiating the same.
The House said if Buhari fails to disclose the names of the alleged sponsors, it might invoke Section 28 of the Constitution, compelling the President to do so.
“All of us here are prime suspects. I appeal that the leadership of the House liaise with their counterparts in the Senate to try and see the President so that he can tell us who is sponsoring terrorism among us,” said Ben Roland Igbakpa, who moved a motion under Matters of Privilege.
Igbakpa disclosed a nasty experience he claimed he had at the hands of Ghanaian authorities at the weekend.
He said: “They detained me for about four hours, saying they were trying to confirm something. I missed the wedding I went for. And at the end of the day, one of them walked up to me saying, ‘Sorry, sir. There’s an announcement in Nigeria that a member of parliament is sponsoring terrorism and we were put on red alert to ensure that no member of parliament comes here to hide or cause trouble.’
“I had to come back home dejected. They have been calling me all over the world; my friends have been telling me, ‘Who among you is the person sponsoring terrorism?’ The right thing for a father to do is to name and shame any child that’s bringing about division. But Mr. President didn’t shame that person or name them
In a unanimous resolution, the lawmakers mandated the House leadership to meet with their counterparts in the Senate and fix an appointment with the President, so that he would name the lawmakers he referred to.
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, who presided over the plenary, pledged to ensure compliance and report back to the House.
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