National Assembly Blows Hot, threatens warrant of arrest on Emefiele

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threatened to invoke the provisions of section 89(D) of the 1999 Constitution as amended to compel the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emiefele to appear before the House.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that on Tuesday at plenary the House set up an ad-hoc committee to interface with the CBN and Managing Directors of Banks on the scarcity of the redesigned naira notes and cashless policy and want the apex bank to extend the deadline for deposit of the old notes by six months.

Section 89 of the 1999 constitution as Amended gives the parliament power to issue a warrant of arrest on anybody who refuses to honour an invitation from them.

But because the CBN Governor or his representative had not honoured the House invitation for a meeting by 3.00pm on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Adhoc Commîttee, Ado Doguwa, rescheduled for Thursday.

According to Doguwa, the Committee received a letter from the Invitees that they received the invitation late on Tuesday evening and so would not be available for the scheduled meeting on Wednesday.

But a letter read on the floor of the House on Thursday by the Speaker and signed by CBN’s Deputy Governor, Corporate Services said Emefiele will not honour the invitation because he was part of President Buhari’s delegation to Dakar, Senegal.

Reacting to the letter, Gbajabiamila said though the CBN Governor was a personal friend, he and other members of the House have a constitutional duty to perform.

According to him, the refusal of the CBN Governor to honour the invitation or send a representative to the House was not acceptable and that the bank must attend the meeting summoned by the House before the close of business on Thursday.