Suspended Lawmaker, Jibrin Meets Buhari, Says I Have Learnt a Lesson

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

Embattled Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin who was suspended by his colleagues in the House of Representatives in September 2016 over perceived misconduct, met for the first time with President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House thursday behind closed-doors.

Every effort Jibrin had earlier made to see the president while the face-off between him and the House of Representatives raged in 2016, yielded no fruit as he was effectively blocked whereas the coast was cleared for the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, to see the president.

Jibrin, while answering questions from journalists after meeting the president thursday, said episodes like his suspension provides him with an opportunity to learn one lesson or the other.

“For every situation like this, there is always an opportunity to learn. It is a learning curve. So, it is fine,” he said.

Jibrin was suspended following the recommendation of the House committee which investigated his outburst against the Speaker, Dogara, whom he had vehemently accused of corruption and padding the 2016 budget.

He also ignored the committee’s summons to appear before it to defend his allegations against the speaker. Hence, he was suspended for 180 days with a caveat that he must write a letter of apology to the House before he could be recalled, a resolution which he has since ignored.

Comparing his suspension with that of the former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, Jibrin, said whereas his case was still pending before a law court, Ndume’s suspension was called off within two months as he expressed hopes that the court will adjudicate on his matter so soon.

“Well, that is the interesting thing about the situation. The same case, similar case, identical case was dispensed with within two months but I’m still hanging in the court system, but again, I know the Nigerian judiciary is just so. I’m pretty sure that soonest, I will be able to get judgment and my constituency will soon get back to the House,” he said.

Asked if he sought the president’s intervention in his ordeal with the House of Representatives, Jibrin declined comment, saying what was important was that he met with the president and both of them interacted like father and son.

“Well, I cannot comment in that regard. The most important thing is that I saw him and he is in a very high spirit. I greeted him like a son and he spoke to me like a father. As you are now aware, I have not seen the president for awhile. It’s a meeting between a father and a son,” he said.

On his reaction to recent calls for his recall by certain Nigerians, the lawmaker said such calls were not unexpected having been in suspension for 16 months while the voice from his constituency had been shut down in the House for almost one and half years.

“It is only normal. Of course, Nigerians like justice. My constituency has been suspended for 16 months. So it is only normal that people will talk and ask questions, why are we not back on the aspect of court case that has been lingering in the court for the past 16 months. I think these are some of the reasons people are raising issues in the public glare,” he added.

Asked if the crisis rocking the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) featured in his discussion with the president, Jibrin answered in the negative but added that the involvement of Buhari’s son in an accident last Tuesday was mentioned, adding: “I greeted him and wished his son quickest recovery.”