By Umar Muhammad Puma
Speaker of the House of Representatives yesterday insisted that the House should proceed with the probe of the alleged personal use of a private jet charter by Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and maintained at the cost of N10 billion by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
There were reports at the weekend that the speaker had directed that the investigation into the matter be put on hold.
But at plenary yesterday, Tambuwal reacted to the publications, saying the lower chamber will still scrutinize the matter, which has been taken before an Abuja high court by the minister.
“It was widely reported that I ordered that the investigation should be stopped. It was my position that we should hold on until I receive a legal briefing on the matter, but we should go ahead now that even the judge himself had said he didn’t issue an injunction to halt the probe”, he said.
The speaker further hinged his insistence for the continuation of the probe on the fact that the House had consulted with the Justice Mahmud Mohammed of the High Court that supposedly granted a restraining order stopping the probe. According to him, other stakeholders were also reached.
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