The House of Representatives is seeking disciplinary action against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, and six Area Council Chairmen for their defiant stance and disregard towards the legislative body.
Rep. Ikonne Ifeanyi, a member of the House Committee on FCT Area Council and Ancillary, made the call during a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
After being invited, the minister and his council chairmen refused to appear before the House, which he said showed disrespect.
He said: “Why must we invite someone here, and they will give us the date they will appear? What about the risk people took to be there? We should not be seen pleading for them to appear before us.
“My own decision is that they should be the ones to look for us. If we don’t stop this arrogance, it will not stop.
“Henceforth, we will not approve anything for both the minister and the area council chairmen, and as a matter of fact, we will tell the president to remove Wike as the FCT minister.
“I hereby move as a motion to bring this to the floor of the house for them to come and explain why they are not honouring our invitation.”
According to Rep. Fredrick Agbedi, chairman of the committee, the minister and council chairmen’s actions constitute a dereliction of duty and a violation of their constitutional obligations, ultimately harming the very people they are supposed to serve.
He said: “The committee’s oversight function is essential to ensuring accountability and good governance, and this refusal to honour our invitation undermines these efforts.”
He said that the six area council chairmen had not flagged off, completed, or commissioned any project in the area councils, unlike the minister.
“This is appalling considering the huge monthly allocation running into billions of aira to each of the six area councils in the last year and beyond.
“The committee will not hesitate to exercise its authority to guarantee that the area councils serve the people’s best interests and will take the necessary measures to ensure their accountability,” Agbedi declared.
Rep. Adesola Adebayo (APC-Lagos), a committee member, emphasized that the House has the constitutional mandate to oversee the activities of the council areas.
Drawing from his experience as a former chairman of Apapa Local Government in Lagos State, he reminded the chairmen that they are essentially an extension of the state House and should recognize the House’s supervisory role.
He stated that no chairman dares not appear before the state House of Assembly because they have the power to remove them.
The lawmaker viewed the area council chairmen’s refusal to appear before the House, despite being invited, as a deliberate slight and a challenge to the authority of the House of Representatives.
He said: “They were fully invited but wrote a letter within an hour saying that they would not be coming.
“We should apply the maximum pressure on them; they should be accountable to the legislature.
“It is disrespectful and disregardful for the House of Representatives for them not to have shown up.”
The committee expressed their displeasure, stating that the FCT minister and council chairmen are treating them with disdain, viewing them as subservient or inferior, which they emphasized will no longer be accepted.
Rep. Nurudeen Abbas (PDP-Oyo) proposed that the minister and council chairmen be offered a final opportunity to rectify their stance and cooperate with the committee, rather than facing immediate consequences.
He said:“Let’s communicate with them again, and if they fail to appear again, then we should sanction them.”
Rep. Sada Soli (APC-Katsina) requested that the committee go into executive session, where members can discuss the matter in private, to deliberate further.
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