Oscar Chukwugekwu, Abuja
The Senate on Wednesday summoned the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, for interrogation over allegations of undue interference by the DSS in the Rivers State Election Petition pending before the Election Petition Tribunal.
Daura is to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions that is conducting the investigation today (Thursday)
The investigation, which commenced on Wednesday at the National Assembly Complex, is sequel to a petition sent to the Upper Chamber by the Rivers State House of Assembly and referred to the Committee last week.
Signed by the 31 members of the House of Assembly, the petition alleged among others that the DSS had arrested some officials of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and members of the Election Petition Tribunal and subjected them to serious intimidation, harassment and coercion to compromise the judicial independence of the Tribunal and pervert the cause of justice.
At the commencement of sitting by the Senate Committee on the Petition, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, warned all the parties that are involved in the matter against unnecessary delay.
He added that the Senate would want prompt response to invitations and questions raised during the investigation.
Anyanwu declared that it would pay serious attention to allegations of abuse of office implied in the petition against the DSS.
This is even as he called on the petitioners to provide specific details on the petition to assist the Committee.
“The issue of independence of the judiciary is a very serious pillar in the dispensation of justice. That is why the committee takes the allegation of intimidation of Tribunal members very seriously because, if the judiciary is intimidated, then the independence is compromised. So, we want all details about this allegation supplied to the committee without delay,” Anyanwu stated.
Defending the petition earlier, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, who led other members of the House to appear before the Committee, disclosed that INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, and other senior officials of the Commission had equally been arrested and detained by the DSS in Abuja.
“We make bold to say that they lack the power or the authority to invite any judicial officer serving in the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal for questioning concerning their handling of election petitions pending before them based on some purported petitions from interested parties.
“While we commend the stance and efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to instill discipline, strengthen institutions of state and deepen democratic values where all Nigerians will have equal opportunities, we all appalled by their present clandestine and surreptitious moves aimed at derailing an efficient, transparent and unbiased justice delivery system and thereby bringing the judiciary into disrepute, public ridicule and odium.
“Embarking on this condemnable mission, the DSS purports to be acting on some pre-arranged petitions from persons, who are directly interested in the outcome of the various election Petitions from Rivers State,” Ibani declared.
