The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martins Amaewhule, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to investigate the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral.
The Speaker of the Assembly made the remark during the plenary at the House of Assembly quarters complex in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Amaewhule said that the Chairman of the RSIEC, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd) should be investigated for alleged misappropriation of the Commission’s fund.
He said that it is the duty of the Rivers State House of Assembly that enacted the law that set up the SIEC with a mandate to exercise oversight over it.
“It is not only constitutional, but it is the convention the world over,” he said.
Amaewhule said that Enebeli and the Commissioners came before the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation and admitted that they were not going to live above the Constitution or the law.
He added: “And it is usually the practice that questions are put forth to them, asking them if they will come before the House when questions are needed to be asked.
“And they also confirmed to us that they will come before the Assembly to answer questions when necessary.
Also Read:
“Today, we are calling on them and they are refusing to honour the summons of this August Assembly.”
Amaewhule said that the House is vested with the powers in Section 128 of the state Constitution to invite the commission for investigation, for the chairman and members to answer questions put forward to them.
He said that it had become necessary for the house to invite the EFCC and ICPC to assist it in pursuit of its investigative powers to find out how funds were spent by the commission.
He said that the crime commissions should also investigate how public funds were expended by the chairman, who is the chief accounting officer of the commission, in a manner that was unknown to the Assembly.
Amaewhule said that there was no approval, no budgetary allocation, no appropriation law, and billions of public funds went down the drain in futile actions.
“It’s important that they come and bring themselves forward for this investigation and that’s exactly what this motion has said,” he explained.
He said that the motion and the prayers were voted in favour by 26 members, with none opposing it.
He, however, said that the House did not condemn the refusal of the RSIEC’s chairman and others who failed to subject themselves to investigation by it.
He added that the House had agreed to invite the bankers to the RSIEC to produce the commission’s bank statements from January 1, 2024 till date.
Amaewhule stated that the power to also investigate the River State Government is vested in the Assembly by virtue of the provisions of Section 128.
Post Views: 24
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
