By Abigail David
The Senate on Thursday dissociated itself from remarks by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited as “a bunch of criminals and thieves” and clarified that no Senate committee has the authority to issue an arrest warrant without due process.
The resolutions followed a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele during plenary. He stressed that only the Senate President can authorise such actions in line with the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and established parliamentary procedures.
The clarification comes after the Senate Committee on Public Accounts reportedly recommended an arrest warrant for former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, over his alleged failure to honour invitations relating to an ongoing probe.
Bamidele warned that committees are subordinate to the Senate and cannot independently exercise powers reserved for the full chamber. He also said public statements by lawmakers should not be misconstrued as the official position of the Senate.
Several senators, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Abba Moro, Adamu Aliero and Orji Uzor Kalu, supported the motion, urging adherence to due process and caution in public comments capable of affecting the Senate’s credibility and Nigeria’s investment image.
Defending himself, Oshiomhole said his remarks were made in response to alleged attacks on lawmakers by NNPCL officials and that he had no intention of bringing the Senate into disrepute. He added that he would apologise if that was the Senate’s decision.
The development comes amid the Senate’s ongoing scrutiny of issues arising from an Auditor-General’s report and after Kyari reportedly informed the committee that he was abroad receiving medical treatment.
