N96m bribe: Reps abandon Lawan to his fate

Angry members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday insisted that one of their high-ranking members, Mr. Farouk Lawan, currently enmeshed in a $3m bribery allegation must carry his own cross.
A key member of the House confided in The PUNCH in Abuja that most members had reportedly analysed Lawan and Femi Otedola’s accounts of what transpired and were of the view that “our colleague did not act smart at all.”
The lawmaker, who is very close to the leadership of the House, disclosed that members were pained by the fact that it was Lawan who went to Otedola’s house to collect the money.
He noted, “Lawan must carry his cross; we have been discussing his conduct and most of us hold this view.
“The fact that he visited Otedola is enough to invalidate whatever he has to tell us. Let us assume that he did not collect the money; the fact that he went to the man (Otedola) diminished all he said. It is a total disgrace.”
The lawmaker, however, said that members were hoping that investigation would give Lawan a “watertight case, which for now is not what we are seeing.”
“We insist that whatever investigation is being done must be properly handled; all the facts must be laid bare”, he added.
The Chairman of an influential committee, which controls over 30 parastatals, also expressed sadness over the development, saying it was reasonable for members to keep Lawan at arm’s length in the interim.
According to the member, who pleaded anonymity, when a committee of the House is conducting an investigation, “the committee calls the shots, not the other way round.”

PUNCH NEWSPAPER