Members of the House of Representatives have called for sanctions against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and six Area Council Chairmen for alleged insubordination and refusal to appear before its committee despite receiving invitations.
During a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, Ikonne Ifeanyi, a member of the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, demanded action against Wike and the council chairmen. Ifeanyi emphasized that their failure to appear before the committee showed a lack of respect and disregard for the House.
“The House will no longer yield to their demands and will also tell President Bola Tinubu to remove Wike as FCT minister,” Ifeanyi stated. He expressed frustration, saying, “Why must we invite someone here, and they 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.”
Ifeanyi proposed a motion to bring the matter to the floor of the House, insisting that the minister and chairmen should be held accountable for their actions. “If we don’t stop this arrogance, it will not stop,” he added.
Fredrick Agbedi, the committee chairman, supported Ifeanyi’s stance, highlighting that the minister and chairmen’s actions were a breach of their constitutional responsibilities and a disservice to the people they serve. Agbedi noted that despite receiving substantial monthly allocations, the six area council chairmen had not completed or inaugurated any projects, unlike Wike.
“The committee’s oversight function is essential to ensuring accountability and good governance, and this refusal to honor our invitation undermines these efforts,” Agbedi said. He emphasized the importance of accountability, given the billions of Naira allocated to the area councils over the past year.
Adesola Adebayo (APC-Lagos), another committee member, asserted the House’s authority in overseeing the activities of the council areas. He criticized the council chairmen for their lack of accountability, stating, “They were fully invited but wrote a letter within an hour saying that they would not be coming. We should apply maximum pressure on them; they should be accountable to the legislature.”
However, Nurudeen Abbas of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suggested giving Wike and the council chairmen one last chance to appear before the committee. “Let’s communicate with them again, and if they fail to appear again, then we should sanction them,” Abbas recommended.
