MP Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, has denied allegations that he paid the House leadership $1.7 million to secure the chairmanship of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).
In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by his Chief of Staff, Ernest Njesi, Ugochinyere said only an ill-informed and childish mind could believe that he had induced the Speaker to take over the chairmanship of the committee.
The MP described the allegations as a “false and senseless belated attempt by vested interests to provoke and divert attention from the widespread corruption in the oil and gas industry.”
He added that the attempt to drag Speaker of Parliament Abbas Tajudeen and his name into a “fictional Hollywood story” was doomed to failure from the start. Those who contributed to these stories in one way or another, including through smear campaigns, would now face the punishment of the law.
Ugochinyere gave a vote of confidence to the decision of the parliamentary leadership to dissolve the joint committee investigating the problems in the oil sector and expressed his confidence in the decision of the Speaker, adding that if the setting up of an ad hoc committee to conduct the investigation was better, he agreed with the decision.
Ugochinyere said: “The allegation is a belated, nonsensical, childish and unprofessional fabrication aimed at dividing Parliament and helping some criminal elements who have been in prison for a long time to believe they can escape justice, which is impossible as the demand for transparency and reforms must be pushed forward.”
“Only a childish mind will believe that the Speaker received $1.7 million for something that is not worth a penny. We will not appreciate the cheap attempt to divert attention from the House investigation into corruption in our oil industry.
“The all-embracing style of governance of Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has kept the 10th House stable over the past year. Their approach to governance has played a crucial role in fostering a sense of inclusiveness in Parliament. They have adopted a collaborative approach that transcends party lines and created an environment where all voices are not only heard but valued.”
The MP stressed that he was not bothered by the “uncoordinated attacks and smear campaign against our Speaker of Parliament and the leadership of the House of Representatives”.
Describing the allegation as the efforts of unprofessional corrupt elements to pollute the media space in a desperate attempt to hide from the inevitable that is to come, he said: “I remain focused in my fight for good governance
