161
By Daniel Adaji
The Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA) has accused the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets of delivering a biased and unjust ruling in favour of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), disregarding evidence and procedural fairness.
In a letter dated July 11, 2025, signed by its National President, Chief Princewill Okorie, and seen by Pointblanknews.com, APPA rejected the Committee’s conclusion on its petition against NELMCO’s alleged misconduct.
The petition, initially submitted on November 13, 2024, was meant to expose what APPA described as “wasteful practices and abuse of office” at NELMCO.
“We are constrained to formally express our Association’s strong objection and rejection of the hasty, biased, and unfair ruling and conclusion on our petition,” Okorie wrote.
“We submitted that petition in accordance with our rights as Nigerian citizens under Section 24(e) and pursuant to the legislative oversight function under Section 83 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” he stated.
According to APPA, the Committee’s conduct raised serious concerns. The group revealed it received an invitation dated July 9, 2025, signed by the Committee Chairman, Ademorin Kuye, inviting them to a follow-up meeting.
“The Committee found it imperative to invite you to a follow-up meeting,” the letter read. But on arrival on July 10, APPA representatives were instead handed a backdated letter dated June 2, 2025.
“Why should we be served a letter dated June 2 only on July 10—the very day the Committee chose to deliver its ruling? Where is the fairness?” APPA said.
The association also alleged the presence of multiple media houses at what was supposed to be a closed-door meeting, calling it a “media ambush.”
According to them, the Committee had previously cautioned all parties against media engagements until the investigation was concluded.
“This suggests a deliberate attempt to use the media to justify an unjust ruling,” the group said, citing a Newspaper’s report published the same day as evidence of premeditated bias.
The association claimed they were not allowed to respond to NELMCO’s counter-submissions or present additional evidence.
“We were told we were not there for discussion, but only to hear the ruling,” the letter stated. “Even when some Committee members suggested further investigation, their views were ignored.”
The association also raised accusation of intimidation. “NELMCO’s MD allegedly used DSS officers to arrest and detain some of their staff, falsely accusing them of leaking information to us,” the letter revealed.
“We raised this again on July 10, 2025, but Hon. Dabo Ismail, presiding over the meeting, ignored the concerns and acted more like a defense lawyer for NELMCO than an impartial lawmaker,” it added.
Expressing disappointment, APPA stated: “In view of the above, we totally reject the unfair and partial ruling delivered by Hon. Dabo Ismail on behalf of the Committee on Public Assets regarding our petition against NELMCO.”
Reaffirming its commitment to seeking justice, the group vowed to pursue the matter using constitutional channels.
“We are determined to engage the National Assembly using its oversight and investigative powers as provided in Section 88(2)(b) until justice and fair hearing are achieved,” the statement read.