The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has made an about-face on the appearance of the Managing Director of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Prof Kemabrandikumo Pondei, before the House of Representatives Ad- Hoc Committee, investigating corruption allegations in the Commission.
Pondei had appeared before the Committee on Monday, but collapsed as he was being grilled. He was, thereafter, rushed out of the Committee room, and taken to the hospital.
Gbajabiamila had, reportedly, told the Committee that Pondei would no longer appear before it, and advised they make use of his written submission to conclude their assignment.
That did not quite go well with Nigerians who expected a bombshell from the MD.
Kemebradikummo Pondei
Last week, he had walked out on the Committee, refusing to testify, on the grounds that the Chairman, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was an interested party, and should recuse himself. He alleged that he was involved in the cases being investigated.
On Monday, Tunji-Ojo had recused himself, only for Pondei to collapse, thus ending his session in an anti-climax.
On Tuesday, however, Gbajabiamila clarified that what he meant was that Pondei was not fit enough to go back to the Committee to continue his testimony that Monday.
He said that now that Pondei is out of the hospital, and walking around, the Committee “is free to invite him again to finish his testimony”.
On Monday when Pondei collapsed, not a few people felt it was stage-managed. But the NDDC Spokesperson had explained that Pondei had been sick for two weeks, and had been advised by his doctor to stay away from the Committee on Monday.
According to him, Pondei thought he could pull it. Unfortunately, he could not.
Sceptics, however, insist that Pondei neither looked sick last week when he walked out on the Committee, nor on Monday when he came back to testify. “He bounced-in”, a member of the Committee quipped.
