N281 billion budget padding sparks uproar as House resumes

By Odunewu Segun

There was an uproar in the House of Representatives earlier today as supporters of Speaker Yakubu Dogara started shouting his name to prevent some members of the House from moving a motion for his impeachment over the budget padding scandal.

The drama started when Speaker Dogara refused to recognize a member of the House Aliyu Madaki who raised his hand to raise a motion. Instead, the Speaker recognised Emmanuel Oker-Jev, Chairman, Rules and Business, to move a motion.

There was so much noise that when Oker-Jev moved his motion, it was quickly referred to the ethics and privileges committee.

Majority of the lawmakers were not happy with the budget padding allegations raised by the former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation Abdumumin Jibrin.

During the commotion in the House, Abdumumin was observed moving round the chamber trying to enlist supporters for his call on Dogara to step down as Speaker. He was closely watched by the Sergeant-at-Arms.

ALSO SEE: Padding: Jibrin says no going back even if whole House of Reps turn against him

After normalcy was returned, Madaki wondered why the motion moved by Oker-Jev was not seconded by any legislator, which was against the rules of the House.

He told Dogara that there was a call for his resignation based on the allegations levelled against him by Jibrin but Dogara dismissed this, saying Jibrin allegations were against the entire House.

Sacked Chairman House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin had sometimes ago accused Speaker of the House of Reps, Dogara and some other principal officers of undermining President Muhammadu Buhari’ anti-corruption war by padding his first ever budget to the tune of N281 billion, taking over N8 billion to his Bauchi State constituency alone.

Jubrin had urged the DSS to take necessary steps to bring Dogara and his accomplices to justice to serve as deterrent to other and save future budgets from padding.