Budget padding: You’re a blackmailer – Yakassai blasts Hon. Jibrin

Following the crisis rocking the House of Representatives over the 2016 budget padding scandal, Second Republic politician, who was once the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has accused the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin, of blackmailing and taking advantage of his colleagues.

The elder statesman lambasted Jibrin, describing him as a blackmailer who was only out to rubbish his colleagues because he lost out.

It would be recalled that the ousted chairman had accused the Speaker alongside other principal officers, Yusuf Lasun, Alhassan Doguwa and Leo Ogor of attempting to pad N40bn into the 2016 budget, an allegation that has already been denied.

Jibrin, in another revelation, alleged that the Speaker tried to break into his office in an attempt to destroy critical documents regarding the allegations of budget padding against Dogara.

Yakasai, speaking with the Sun, said Jibrin who is alleging, should go to proper authority and complain, then the authority should investigate, noting that in this case, the people who are accused will have the opportunity to state their own side of the story.

He said, “You can’t just accuse a person. You are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Somebody was with his colleagues all these days, serving at least more than a year, all was quiet, and all of a sudden something happened, he was said to have resigned from his position, and the next we heard was allegations.

“If the allegations were correct, the natural thing he was supposed to do was to go to the EFCC or ICPC to lodge a complaint, and it is up for the accused persons to go and defend themselves, but because we are so turned upside down, the moment somebody made allegation you automatically believe it’s correct, which is wrong.

“Allegation is allegation until it is proven to be correct.”

Speaking further, Yakasai said, “The issue is blackmail. Jibrin is blackmailing his colleagues, it is obvious, because when the going was fine, he didn’t accuse them. By this time last year, he didn’t accuse them; by this time last month, he didn’t accuse them.

“He took advantage and I’m sure there must be something that prompted him to resign,” he added.