Port Harcourt, March 13, 2025 – The Rivers State House of Assembly has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) over alleged financial misappropriation.
Martins Amaewhule, the Speaker, said this during the plenary on Wednesday.
He said the RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli should be investigated for alleged misappropriation of the Commission’s fund.
He said the Rivers State Assembly that enacted the state Independent Electoral Commission law and set up the State Independent Electoral Commission should exercise oversight over it.
“It is not only constitutional, but it is the convention the world over.
“And it is usually the practice that questions are put forth to them, asking them if they will come before the House when questions are needed to be asked.
“And they also confirmed to us that they will come before the Assembly to answer questions when necessary.
“Today, we are calling on them and they are refusing to honour the summons of this August Assembly.’’
The Speaker said the House is vested with the powers in Section 128 of the state Constitution to invite the commission for investigation, for the chairman and members to answer questions put forward to them.
He said it had become necessary for the house to invite the EFCC and ICPC to assist it in pursuit of its investigative powers to find out how funds were spent by the commission.
He said that the crime commissions should also investigate how public funds were expended by the chairman, who is the chief accounting officer of the commission, in a manner that was unknown to the Assembly.
Amaewhule said that there was no approval, no budgetary allocation, no appropriation law, and billions of public funds went down the drain in futile actions.
“It’s important that they come and bring themselves forward for this investigation and that’s exactly what this motion has said,” he said.
