Parliamentary workers deny N500m fraud allegation, say petition not accurate

The Chairman, Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, National Assembly chapter, Sunday Sabiyi, has debunked the allegation of N500m financial misappropriation raised against top officials in the union.

Sabiyi noted that the masterminds of the petition wrote it in malice and not an accurate account of what transpired.

The PUNCH had reported that top officials of the National Assembly branch of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria were interrogated by operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday over allegations of financial misappropriation involving about N500m.

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Investigations by our correspondent revealed that three top officials of PASAN in the National Assembly were invited by the FCID on Wednesday and grilled for several hours.

The FCID letters of invitation to each of the officials were routed through the office of the Permanent Secretary, Human Resources and Staff Development of the National Assembly.

The letters inviting them to appear at the Police Department on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, were separately addressed to the Chairman PASAN, National Assembly Chapter, Sunday Sabiyi; the Financial Secretary, Stacy Nwodo; and the Treasurer, Samtiya Daniel.

Their invitation was on the strength of a petition jointly written against them by nine suspended officers of PASAN, who accused the executive of financial misappropriation.

Sabiyi on Friday, however, denied the allegation saying the petition was written out of malice.

He said, “My attention had been drawn to reports by a section of the media alleging that the union leaders misappropriated the sum of N500 million.

“It must be stated that nine aggrieved members of the union were suspended by the Union in a general congress upon an allegation of sale of the union’s land during the tenure of the previous Executive.

“It will be recalled that a committee was set up to investigate the said allegation in which the suspended members were found guilty upon the submission of the committee’s report to the congress of the Union.”

He noted that“The decision of the nine suspended Executive members to petition the police after over two years of their suspension was an afterthought and attempt to divert the attention of the staff with frivolous allegation just after another free and fair election where the incumbent Chairman, Sunday Sabiyi coasted to victory in a landslide.

“However, in the interest of peace and harmonious working relationship in the National Assembly, the union has resolved to use its internal mechanism within the trade union principle to look into the allegations as the National body remains the only authorized apex body of the union that can audit the books of any of its chapters.”

Sabiyi added, “Consequently, the Chairman Comrade Sabiyi hereby calls on all members of the union to remain calm and law-abiding as he remains resolute, committed, and focused on consolidating on the gains already made by his led Executive team in discharging his duty to the best interest of staff especially now that he has a renewed mandate which he holds with two hands.”