Kogi Assembly threatens warrant of arrest against Commissioner

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

This followed a motion by the Chairman, Special Committee on Public Account, Hilarion Musa, on the need to compel the commissioner to appear before the house.

Musa, who is the lawmaker representing Igalamela Odolu Constituency, said that the commissioner had constantly disregarded the call of the house.

“The committee had invited the commissioner, the invitation duly served, but refused without a word to the committee, to appear. In return, he invited the committee to a meeting at the Revenue House and, thereon, the committee made demands of specific evidences pursuant to its consideration of the report by the State Auditor General on the audited accounts of the state.”

“It is now over six months; the commissioner has neither replied nor availed the committee with the evidence required for further consideration of the report.”

“I, therefore, move that the commissioner, by the powers confer on this 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.”

In a unanimous support, the lawmakers viewed the commissioner’s refusal to honour the invitation of the committee as an affront to the house.

Speaker Matthew Kolawole in his ruling said the house had the powers to invite anyone and that the commissioner was not an exemption.