DPR threatens sanctions on Wike, FCT council chairman for refusing invitation

The House of Representatives on Tuesday threatened to sanction the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and six Area Council Chairmen in the city for insubordination.

A member of the House Committee on FCT County and Ancillary Assemblies, Ikonne Ifeanyi, made the call during a committee meeting in Abuja.

He said that the refusal of ministers and council leaders to appear before the DPR after being invited was a form of disrespect and lack of appreciation for the DPR.

He said: “Why should we invite someone here and they tell us the date they will be there? What about the risks people took to be there? We must not be seen begging them to appear before us.

“My own decision is that they should be the ones looking for us. If we don’t stop this arrogance, then this arrogance will not stop.

“Furthermore, we will not agree to anything either for ministers or local council chairmen and in fact, we will tell the president to remove Wike as FCT minister.

“I hereby propose to bring this matter to the DPR so that they come and explain why they did not accept our invitation.”

READ ALSO: DPR asks Wike to prioritize security, revenue generation in FCT

Meanwhile, the committee chairman, Fredrick Agbedi, described the actions of the minister and the council speaker as a breach of their constitutional responsibilities.

He said: “The committee’s oversight function is critical to ensuring accountability and good governance, and the refusal to honor our invitation undermines these efforts.”

The chairman stressed that chairmen do not initiate, complete or assign any projects in the regional councils, unlike ministers.

“This is particularly sad considering the huge monthly allocations, running into billions of Naira, to each of the six area councils in the past year and beyond,” Agbedi added.

He said the committee would not hesitate to use its authority to ensure the regional council operated in the best interests of the people.

However, Oyo State lawmaker Nurudeen Abbas urged his colleagues to give ministers and chairmen a final chance to appear before them.

“Let’s communicate with them again, if they don’t attend again, then we will give them sanctions,” he said.

House threatens sanctions on Wike and FCT council chairman for rejecting invitation first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.