Senate on Thursday distanced itself from the arrest warrant issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Mele Kyari by its Committee on Public Accounts.
The upper chamber also dissociated itself from comments attributed to Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who described the NNPCL as a “bunch of criminals and thieves” during a committee hearing on Wednesday.
The clarification followed the committee’s decision to order Mr Kyari’s arrest after he failed to appear before it over audit queries linked to N210 trillion in NNPCL accounts between 2017 and 2023.
Raising a point of order during plenary, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the power to issue a warrant compelling the attendance of a witness before the Senate or its committees rests with the Senate president under the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
Mr Bamidele argued that no committee has the authority to independently issue, authorise or execute a warrant of arrest.
Following deliberations, the Senate resolved that no committee should issue, authorise or execute a warrant except in line with the provisions of the law and with the approval of the Senate president.
The Senate also stated that comments made by individual lawmakers during committee proceedings should not be taken as the position of the chamber.
Senator Oshiomhole, who came under criticism over the remarks attributed to him, defended his comments, saying he spoke while trying to protect the integrity of the Senate.
The development comes a day after the Senate Committee on Public Accounts directed that Kyari be arrested and brought before it over alleged discrepancies identified in NNPCL’s financial records.
Meanwhile, Kyari informed the committee that he is outside Nigeria receiving medical treatment and is unable to attend the hearing in person.
In a letter said to be dated May 8, the former NNPC boss stated that he had not received the committee’s invitation but would have honoured it if circumstances permitted.
Mele Kyari also requested that any questions from the committee be forwarded through his legal representatives so he could provide clarifications.
The committee’s investigation stems from audit concerns raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation over NNPCL’s financial statements between 2017 and 2023.
Lawmakers have questioned N103 trillion recorded as accrued expenses and N107 trillion listed as sundry receivables in the company’s accounts, among other transactions.
The probe is ongoing.
