Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila has insisted that the Senate must launch its own investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), arguing that the National Assembly cannot abdicate its constitutional responsibility by relying solely on President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Speaking after the Senate declined to debate his motion on Tuesday, the Kano South lawmaker said the legislature owes Nigerians answers on how the controversial agency was captured in the national budget and whether public funds were released to it.
According to him, the executive’s investigation cannot answer questions that fall squarely within the constitutional powers of the National Assembly.
“I commend Mr. President for setting up a committee to investigate the matter. He is doing what he is supposed to do. But the National Assembly must also do its own because the budget lies with us,” Kawu said.
The senator stressed that his concern was not the legality of the agency’s creation, noting that the President has constitutional powers to establish agencies for the administration of government.
Rather, he said, the critical issue is how the agency secured a budget line in the Appropriation Act.
“I am not talking about the creation of the agency. What I want to know is who legalized the inclusion or who facilitated the inclusion of that agency in the national budget,” he said.
Kawu maintained that the controversial budget provision could only have originated from one of two sources—the executive or the National Assembly—and insisted that Nigerians deserve to know which institution was responsible.
“If it came from the Executive, we need to know. If it was introduced during the budget process by the National Assembly, then we also need to know who facilitated it,” he stated.
The senator further disclosed that his proposed investigation would also determine whether any funds allocated to the agency had already been released, the destination of such funds and those who authorized the transactions.
“If there was a release, to which bank did it go? Who are the signatories? Budget is the most important aspect of this issue,” he said.
Kawu argued that waiting for the executive’s investigation alone would leave the legislature exposed to accusations of complicity, insisting that Parliament must independently account for its role in the appropriation process.
“National Assembly is part of the problem. President cannot do our work for us,” he declared.
Although the Senate did not allow debate on his motion, the lawmaker said he had succeeded in placing the institution on notice and ensuring that the issue could no longer be ignored.
“Nobody can now say the National Assembly kept quiet. History will judge whether we discharged our constitutional responsibility,” he added.