Forty-eight hours to resumption of the National Assembly from a six-week recess, embattled House Speaker Patricia Etteh met with various groups yesterday at the Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja. This is in a last ditch effort to forestall a probe of allegations of financial impropriety against her regarding the award of contract and renovation of her official residence.
However, those rooting for her ouster have continued their meetings, one of which ended inconclusively on Thursday. Numbering about 280 and meeting under the aegis of New Age Group, the Reps were not agreed on whether to send out a position statement calling for an investigation. The disagreement was predicated on the view by some of the members that the statement could be best issued with a majority of its members present.
In the interim, the National Assembly secretariat is disputing the amount reportedly spent on the residences of the Speaker and her deputy, Babangida Nguroje. The secretariat says that rather than N628 million, as alleged, only a little over N579 million was spent on the houses of the two principal officers and other office holders in the Lower House.
Visiting various houses for several hours on end, Etteh attempted to set the records straight as regards the allegation that she had awarded N628 million contract for the renovation of her official home. Earlier explanations made by her media aides and the House Committee on Media and Publicity had put the contract sum at N238 million and informed that it was inclusive of perimeter fencing, furnishing and works.
Among the groups met by the Speaker were the House of Representatives caucuses of the Southwest and Southeast geopolitical zones. She also used the meeting to re-establish political friendships frayed by her equally controversial selection of House Committee chairmen.
It was gathered at the weekend that the National Assembly secretariat support for the House Speaker followed meetings by the political and bureaucratic wings of the legislature, as part of efforts to maintain stability and check the House crisis from blowing out of proportion and spreading to the Senate.
Indeed, one source told The Guardian yesterday that Etteh's problems may have been exacerbated by her decision to toe the directive of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the letter and shut out the opposition in the distribution of the re-constituted 72 Special and Standing Committees.
Senate President, David Mark, initially told journalists that Committee offices were going to members of the PDP, but a principal officer said, "he backed down after realising it could create problems for him."
Even then, the opposition in the Senate complained when the list of Committee chairmen and their deputies was announced, but the former Army General quickly promised to look into it.
But for Etteh, according to a source, "some of those House ranking members, who see themselves as lords for being around for some time, but were consigned to some inconsequential committees, want to pay her back for the spite."
Some Representatives say that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) cannot be absolved for erecting residences for the Deputy Senate President (DSP) and Deputy Speaker that have not been lived in, but still needed huge sums of money to rehabilitate.
The National Assembly is spending N29 million to renovate the DSP's residence before it is furnished for him to move in, while the Deputy Speaker's residence is to be renovated at N90.2 million and furnished with N55 million. The Guardian learnt that the National Assembly management is insisting that the amount spent on the Speaker's residence was a little over N310 million including renovation, security, Value Added Tax (VAT) and furnishings.
Other sources hinted yesterday that the figures being claimed by the National Assembly appear suspect because it took the bureaucracy several weeks to respond to a matter that had been in the public domain.
"They may have agreed with some people to alter these figures and give an impression that the N628 million was not spent on her residence and that of her deputy. I expect that those with documents will respond and put a lie to these new figures," a source said at the weekend.
The Assembly management has also continued to stress that due process was followed in the award of contracts for the renovation and furnishings of the official homes of the two principal officers.
But it has emerged that part of the money was actually used to purchase 10 Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps, as official cars for the 10 House principal officers.
These exclude three other vehicles for the Deputy Speaker and two for Madam Speaker.
Meanwhile, the House, like the Senate, resumes on Tuesday to begin work on the 2008 Appropriation Bill. The Senate is also expected to receive the list of new ministerial nominees to fill the slots for Lagos, Taraba and Kaduna States in the Federal Executive Council.
This is in addition to other names nominated to strike a political balance. One of the new nominees is likely to come from Abia State, as part of an agreement to get the three aggrieved Abia Senators to ensure the passage of Chief Ojo Maduekwe, whom they initially opposed.
FROM ALIFA DANIEL (ASST POLITICAL EDITOR), JOHN ABBA OGBODO AND PASCAL NWIGWE (ABUJA)
The Guardian
Sunday, September 2, 2007
