TheCable

Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman of the house of representatives committee on appropriations, says Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, and other legislators he accused of padding the 2016 budget need more forces to fight him because he is stronger.

The leadership of the house had released a statement on Thursday to say Jibrin was sacked as appropriations chairman because of his “gross abuse” of the budget process.

But responding on Friday, Jibrin said the statement by the house leadership only showed that Dogara wanted to drag the senate and the executive into the matter.

“They just want to drag as many people as possible into the matter to use it as a shield or create a situation that in their foolish way of thinking will compel me to implicate the six other principal officers or other people both in NASS and the executive arm,” he said.

“They are obviously looking for co-travellers. You can see the pattern of systematic blackmail desperately trying to drag in the executive and the senate. I am just too strong for them. They need more forces to fight Hon. Jibrin.”

The lawmaker said they failed to state how he abused the budget process or put it in jeopardy.

He said no ministry, department or agency of government had complained about him, saying: “No facts; just empty vague allegations just to divert attention and buy time.

“But when Lasun took over as chairman of the harmonisation committee, he did ‘a great job’ for the corrupt quartet. He fantastically loaded the budget with all the poisonous insertions they wanted. I have forwarded documents to that effect to the anti-corruption agencies.”

He claimed that Dogara operated the finances of the house in absolute secrecy, awarding wasteful contracts using funds meant for members.

“I am pleading with the security and anti-corruption agencies to be vigilant because Speaker Dogara is moving freely and destroying evidence. Let me assure Nigerians that I will continue with this struggle even if I am alone,” he said.