The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said on Tuesday that the upper chamber would go ahead with the planned probe of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, scheduled for today (Wednesday).
Anyanwu, a Peoples Democratic Party member representing Imo East Senatorial District, who stated this in Abuja while speaking with journalists, explained that he was not bound by the advice of his party’s caucus in the Senate because “I take directives only from the Senate leadership.”
He said, “ As the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, I am answerable to the Senate in the first instance. This committee attends to every petition that comes from the public and the invitation to the EFCC boss is one of those petitions and the petitioner is going to appear before the committee.
“This is a standing committee of the Senate. It is not only the EFCC boss that has been invited, there are other petitions and we have invited the petitioners and those that are petitioned.”
Anyanwu said the committee had also extended invitations to the management of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the Comptroller-General of Customs, who would also appear before it today (Wednesday).
He said, “We are guided by the Senate Standing Rule and the 1999 Constitution to invite anybody when the matter arises.”
The senator described as incorrect, an allegation by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, that his committee did not follow due process in the planned probe of Lamorde.
He said, “That (allegation) is not correct. There are ways petitions can come to the Senate. A petitioner can write straight to the Senate President and the President will send it to the appropriate committee that is involved.”
He explained that the copy of the petition against Lamorde had been sent to him together with the letter of invitation, stressing that he could not determine the action the Senate would take against the EFCC boss in case he failed to honour the committee’s invitation.
Anyanwu said, “I cannot conclude that (Senate action against Lamorde) now because I will be pre-empting what is not available. Let’s wait until tomorrow (Wednesday) to know what the Senate will do if he doesn’t come. He is not summoned, this is an invitation.”
He explained that the press statement by the PDP minority leaders did not represent the opinion of the entire members of the party in the Senate because most members were not around since the red chamber was on recess.
He debunked insinuations that his committee was being used to execute a vendetta against the EFCC boss by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for investigating his wife over an alleged corruption-related issue.
Another PDP senator from Delta Central, Ighoyota Amori, cautioned the committee on its planned invitation of Lamorde.
But the senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District, who is a prominent member of the Like Minds Senators, Rafiu Ibrahim, said that the insinuation of a vendetta against Lamorde was laughable.
He said, “Is it a senator that wrote the petition? Or are you expecting the Senate not to investigate such a serious allegation?
“My brother, every Nigerian has the right to write to the Senate and all issues will be taken very serious without bias by this 8th Senate. We have keyed in totally into the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The parties involved just need to proof their facts and the Senate will make appropriate recommendations to be executed or not by the executive.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the Senate Unity Forum, failed as the spokesperson, Senator Kabir Marafa, could not be reached on the telephone while he did not also respond to the text message sent to him.
Meanwhile, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, who submitted the petition against Lamorde written by Dr. George Uboh, had said that he acted in good conscience and in line with the Senate standing rules that mandated that petitions sent to the National Assembly should be routed through the representatives of the complainant.
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