Posted by By BASHIR UMAR, Abuja on
Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has pledged that the Senate was equal to the task of separating the guilty from the innocent in the on-going feud between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar over the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has pledged that the Senate was equal to the task of separating the guilty from the innocent in the on-going feud between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar over the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
Inaugurating the Senate ad hoc committee to probe the PTDF, Nnamani said the Senate would "reposition the Presidency in the eyes of Nigerians."
In doing that, he said that the upper legislative chamber would "shun any possible pecuniary considerations and other self-serving inducements and dig deep for the truth of the matter."
Alerting the committee of its historic burden, the Senate President said: "Today, I am constrained to remind my colleagues that every Nigerian household, in fact, the citizens of this country now look upon this Senate to rise to the challenges of statesmanship and conduct a thorough, fair and just investigation of the activities of the PTDF and determine who did what and why."
He therefore told the members to be conscious of the determination of the Senate to execute its constitutional responsibility with dignity and justice and to "get to the roots of the allegations of misconduct and corruption in order to clear the debris and let the light of truth shine from the hallowed chambers of presidential power."
He noted that going by the accusation of gross misconduct leveled against the Vice President and his rebuttal and counter-accusation against the President, the two leaders' actions were counter to their moral credibility and the Presidency as well as a threat to democracy.
"The Presidency is not an individual; it is an institution that symbolizes the strength and dignity of the Nigerian people. We cannot allow this institution to be degraded and demystified. So, it is our responsibility to save the Presidency from further embarrassment. We must protect this national institution irrespective of our view about the present occupants of the office. We must clear it of cobwebs of mistrust, mischief and scandal", the Senate President promised.
He regretted that "it is no longer a secret that our democracy is threatened by a moral credibility problem from the leadership", even when "democratic governance is a trust which binds the citizens and their leaders in an unbroken chain of mutuality and dependence, because the citizens expect candour and good faith from the leaders, while the leaders express their obligation to serve the people's interest at all times.
"When this social compact is broken or stressed, the foundations of the legitimacy of the state tremble", Senator Nnamani cautioned, adding: "At such period, the society needs to undergo a restoration of balance and truth is what restores the balance of societal harmony".
In his address, the chairman of the ad hoc committee, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), pledged that the committee would carry out its assignment dispassionately in accordance with the Constitution stressing, "this committee shall stand by the truth, no more no less. It will be firm, fair and transparent."
The PTDF ad hoc committee, which was constituted on September 27, 2006, is expected to report back to the Senate in four weeks from the above date.