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The Kogi State House of Assembly has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest against the Commissioner for Finance, Asiru Idris, if he fails to appear before it 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 Idris had constantly disregarded the call of the house and that if he fails to appear, a warrant of arrest be issued on him.
According to the lawmaker, “The Committee had invited the commissioner, with the invitation duly served, but that Idris had refused to appear before the committee without any explanation.
“In return, the commissioner 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.
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“The Rt. Hon. Speaker and distinguished Hon Colleagues, it is now over six months, the commissioner has neither replied nor availed the committee with the evidences required for further consideration of the report by the State Auditor General.
“I, therefore, move that the Hon. Commissioner, by the powers conferred 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”.
The lawmakers said that the commissioner’s decision not to honour the invitation of the committee was an affront to the house.
The speaker, Matthew Kolawole, in his ruling said the House had the right in accordance with the law to invite anyone and as such the commissioner is not exempted from those it could invite.
Kolawole however directed the clerk to inform the commissioner to appear before the house in its next legislative sitting.
