The House of Representatives has issued an arrest warrant on Okoi Obono-Obla, the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel, SPIP, on Public Assets Recovery for shunning the committee.
The committee is also investigating allegations of discrepancy in the educational qualifications of Obono-Obla.
The House Adhoc Committee investigating the legality and modus operandi of the special presidential panel mandated the Police to compel Okoi Obono-Obla to appear before the committee on its next adjourn date of Thursday May 24 2018.
It would be recalled that the adhoc committee was set up sequel to a motion considered by the House on March 2, 2018.
A member of the committee, Bode Ayorinde (APC, Ondo) described Obono-Obla’s action as an attempt to frustrate the activities of the committee.
The chairman of the Adhoc Committee, Aliyu Pategi (APC, Kwara) condemned the persistent failure of Obono-Obla to honor three earlier summons.
Pategi revealed that the committee in its last meeting invoked section 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
He added that the committee in course has received numerous petitions from the public questioning the academic qualifications of the Adviser to the President.
Pategi disclosed further that the committee wrote to the West African Examination Council WAEC and the University of Jos to investigate the allegation.
Also speaking on the matter, Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Imo), pointed out that the chairman of the special presidential panel’s WAEC result reads Ofem Okoi Ofem instead of Okoi Obono-Obla.
Okechukwu who disclosed that the committee also wrote to the University of Jos, said the institution confirmed that chairman of the panel entered the University with a Mary-nulled college Secondary school statement of result with the name Ofem Okoi Ofem.
The committee therefore queried the discrepancies on the name indicated on Obono-Obla WAEC certificate and wondered if the chairman of the panel used someone else’s result to gain admission into the University.
He urged members of the panel to investigate the allegation of certificate forgery against Okoi Obono-Obla and directed the Clark of the Adhoc committee to furnish the panel with copies of the petition.
The committee subsequently adjourned hearing to Thursday 24th of May.