By Mercy Gadia
The House of Representatives on Tuesday threatened to invoke its constitutional powers against erring ministers and top government officials who fail to honour invitations to appear before it over the ongoing probe into the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee investigating the matter, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, issued the warning in Abuja following the absence of the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Babatunde Ogunjimi, at the investigative hearing.
The session, initially scheduled for 10 a.m., was later shifted to 3 p.m. to accommodate the officials, who still failed to appear.
Lawmakers expressed anger over what they described as a recurring disregard for parliamentary summons, accusing the minister of repeatedly ignoring invitations from committees of the National Assembly.
They stressed that both standing and ad-hoc committees derive their powers from Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower them to summon any individual or institution in the course of investigations.
Tension rose during the session when a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Finance, Mr James Ere, appeared on behalf of the minister without any formal authorisation.
The committee rejected his representation, insisting that only the accounting officers directly responsible for the issues under investigation must appear in person.
Addressing the development, Gagdi described the absence of the invited officials as “a very serious affront” to the oversight responsibilities of the House.
“I must be clearly understood that invitations issued by a duly constituted Committee of the House of Representatives are not matters of discretion,” he said.
“They are issued pursuant to the constitutional powers vested in the National Assembly under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution. Compliance is therefore a legal obligation, not an act of courtesy.”
He added that the committee had issued a final notice to all defaulting Ministries, Departments and Agencies to appear at the next sitting with all relevant documents.
“Thursday is the final opportunity for every defaulting agency to comply voluntarily with the lawful directives of this Committee,” Gagdi warned.
“Any Ministry, Department or Agency that fails to appear without lawful justification will leave the Committee with no alternative but to invoke every constitutional and statutory power available to compel compliance and ensure accountability.”
He further stated that the House would not hesitate to recommend sanctions against any individual or institution found to be obstructing the investigation.
“This investigation is in the national interest. It is not targeted at any individual but aimed at establishing the facts and safeguarding the rule of law,” he added.
Gagdi directed all invited ministers, the Accountant-General and other relevant officials to appear before the committee on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has called for the prosecution of individuals and institutions found culpable in the PFIPC controversy.
Presenting the organisation’s memorandum, CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, represented by Amy Onyinyechi Onwumere, urged the committee to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.
“If these concerns are substantiated, they would point to serious failures in public administration, institutional governance, and financial accountability,” the group said.
CISLAC warned that failure to address the issues could erode public trust and encourage the proliferation of unauthorised government bodies.
The organisation also called for sanctions, recovery of misused funds and systemic reforms to prevent future abuses.