Walkout: Reps Ask IGP To Arrest NDDC MD

The House of Representatives has asked the Inspector General of Police to arrest the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commision (NDDC), Prof. Daniel Pondei over what it claimed on Thursday as his ‘contempt of the legislature.’

The resolution came after Pondei walked away from the investigative hearing of the House Committee on Niger Delta on alleged illegal financial expenditures between February and May 2020.

At the hearing on Thursday, Pondei had accused the chairman of the committee, Rep. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of corruption saying that the NDDC would not allow him sit in judgment over his case.

“We are not comfortable with the chairman of this committee presiding over a matter he has been accused of,” he said.

“There is no point of order here. As long as he is the chairman of this committee, the NDDC will not make any presentation here,” he said.

His submission was, however, rejected by the committee which instead passed a vote of confidence on the committee chairman.

Rep. Benjamin Kalu, the spokesman of the House of Representatives moved the motion for the arrest of Pondei upon section 89 of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

Speaking to newsmen subsequently, Pondei explained that while he was respectful of the National Assembly but that he had lost confidence in Tunji-Ojo to investigate the NDDC.

“We made our presentation over two days and we will wait for the outcome of that investigation.”

“However, the committee that was set up in the House of Representatives is being chaired by the Chairman of the NDDC committee who the NDDC severally accused of different things. He cannot be a judge in his own case because we are very sure we will not have a fair hearing.”

“Yesterday, for reasons beyond our control, we were not able to appear but the reports that came out had already indicted us. They shaved our heads in our absence.

“The fact given by the Account General’s office in the Senate explained that between October 2019 and May 31, 2020, N81.5billion had been spent by the NDDC.”

“Yesterday, according to what was read out by the Chairman, the amount was spent in four months by the NDDC; this already showed that there is a problem, a preconceived efforts to portray the management of the NDDC in a bad light and we know we won’t get justice in this.”

“When we saw that the committee was insistent that the chairman will continue, we had no option rather than to take a leave, we did not disrespect the National Assembly, we asked for permission to leave and we left.”

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