Senate backs anti-graft agency's authority, turns down proposal to halt monitoring of government initiatives

The Senate has given its stamp of approval to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission's (ICPC) authority to oversee national projects, dismissing a motion that sought to put its current monitoring efforts on hold.

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This development came after Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North) presented the motion during a plenary session on Wednesday, highlighting issues with contractors handling federal projects and the challenges they face with fund releases and budget implementation.

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Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) raised objections to the motion, citing procedural flaws, including the lack of a second and the absence of consensus among senators, as stipulated in Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders.

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Senator Bamidele emphasized that the ICPC is operating within its legally defined mandate to monitor projects, aligning with the principles of transparency and accountability that underpin its work.

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Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau advised that the motion be withdrawn, suggesting that concerns about the ICPC's project tracking should be addressed through administrative channels rather than a motion.

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Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) pointed out that, according to Order 41(4), only one matter of urgent public importance can be considered at a time, and the Senate had already dealt with an earlier urgent motion on insecurity.

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Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio upheld the points of order, ruling the motion out of order and incapable of proceeding, thus bringing the matter to a close.