Kogi Assembly threatens warrant of arrest against Finance Commissioner

The Kogi State House of Assembly has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest against the State Commissioner for Finance, Asiru Idris if he fails to appear before members of the house next week Thursday.

The position of the lawmakers followed a motion by the Chairman House Special Committee on Public Account, Hilarion Collins Musa on the need to compel the commissioner to appear before the house.

Musa, who is the lawmaker representing Igalamela Odolu Constituency in the hallowed chamber said that the commissioner Asiru Idris has constantly disregarded the call of the house and if he failed to appear a warrant of arrest be issued on him.

Continuing, the lawmaker said “The Committee had invited the Commissioner, the invitation duly served, but he refused to appear before the Committee without a word to the Committee. In return, he invited the Committee to a meeting at the Revenue House and, thereon, the Committee made demands of specific evidence pursuant to its consideration of the Report by the State Auditor General on the Audited Accounts of the State.

“The Rt. Hon. Speaker and distinguished Hon Colleagues, it is now over 6 months, the Commissioner has neither replied nor availed the Committee with the evidence required for further consideration of the Report by the State Auditor General.

“I, therefore, move that the Hon. Commissioner, by the powers, confers on this State House of Assembly, be compelled firstly by the Resolution of this House to appear before the Committee and secondly upon his failure to act accordingly, be compelled through the issuance of Warrant in line with Section 129 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended to appear accordingly, he said..

In unanimous support by the lawmakers, the commissioner’s decision not to honour the invitation of the committee is an affront to the house.

The speaker, Prince Matthew Kolawole in his ruling said the house has the right in accordance with the law to invite anyone and as such the commissioner is not exempted from those the house can not invite.

Kolawole however directed the clerk to communicate the commissioner to appear before the house in its next legislative sitting.

(Nigerian Tribune)