“PFIPC Probe: Dauda Makes Dramatic Appeal To Lawmakers

The Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Garuba Dauda, has called on the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) to give the council’s purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, an opportunity to defend himself before concluding its probe.

Dauda warned that denying Adeyemi the chance to testify could weaken the credibility and legal integrity of the committee’s findings.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, the CDD director stressed that the principles of fairness and due process require that anyone facing allegations be allowed to present their side before any conclusions are reached.

“You can’t shave somebody’s head in his absence. Even within the context of the law, you must always allow a person to defend himself or herself before reaching a conclusion,” Dauda said.

He argued that Adeyemi’s detention by security agencies should not prevent the House panel from hearing directly from him.

According to Dauda, because the suspect is in the custody of a government agency, lawmakers can work through the appropriate legal and administrative channels to secure his appearance before the committee.

He suggested that the National Assembly could formally engage the security agency holding Adeyemi to facilitate his testimony and, where necessary, seek a court order authorising his appearance.

Dauda further maintained that the committee has sufficient constitutional and institutional powers to ensure Adeyemi is heard, rather than relying solely on documentary evidence and submissions from government agencies before reaching its conclusions.