By Gift ChapiOdekina,Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has distanced himself from allegations that he failed to account for a purported ₦18.6 billion linked to the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) headquarters project.
The allegation, raised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), suggested that the Speaker had questions to answer regarding funds allegedly tied to the NASC building. But in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the Speaker described the claims as “factually incorrect and misleading.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Speaker wishes to state unequivocally that he has no involvement, directly or indirectly, in the award, processing, supervision, or payment of any contract within the National Assembly bureaucracy or any of its agencies,” the statement said.
Krishi stressed that all contractual issues within the National Assembly fall strictly under the administrative bureaucracy, which operates with its own statutory leadership and procurement structures. He noted that the NASC building project “was conceived, awarded, and contractually executed long before the emergence of the current leadership of the House.”
The Office of the Speaker urged SERAP, the media, and members of the public to respect the institutional boundaries that define the roles of political leaders and administrative bodies within the National Assembly.
“Attempts to link the Speaker or the House leadership to such matters are factually incorrect and misleading,” the statement reiterated.
The Speaker’s office called for responsible reporting and advised civil society organisations to avoid attributing administrative or procurement decisions to political office holders without verification.
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