Speaker of the house of assembly, Yakubu Dogara on Monday June 29th 2015, described the comments made by APC chieftain, Chief Bisi Akande over allegations that he was sponsored by oil barons as “baseless and lacking in substance and merit”
Akande had alleged that oil barons who never liked President Muhammadu Buhari`s anti-corruption stance, sponsored the election of the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, and Dogara respectively in a bid to stifle the new government.
In a statement signed by the special assistant to the speaker on media and publicity, Mr.Turaki Hassan, Mr Dogara noted that the first investigative motion moved in the house after his election was the crude oil swap deal carried out by the NNPC.
The speaker noted that there was no way he would pass a motion to investigate “oil barons” who allegedly sponsored his election.
“It is baseless and lacking in substance and merit and can best be described as figment of Chief Akande`s imagination.
“We challenge Chief Akande to name the so-called oil barons whom he alleged sponsored the election of the speaker.
“In case Chief Akande does not know, the first investigative motion adopted by the 8th House of Representatives under the leadership of the speaker was to investigate the allegation of fraud in the oil-swap contract awarded by the NNPC.
“A resolution for investigation into the allegation was passed to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the NNPC, as well as its subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company over the swap contracts.
“How then can the House under the leadership of Mr. Speaker order investigation into activities of those who allegedly sponsored his election?”
“Mr. Speaker has on different occasions reiterated his resolve to compliment President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance and insists that the present crop of leaders don’t have any excuse to give to Nigerians on the change promised them before and during the election that brought APC into power,”
