By Jane Salihu
Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila of Kano South) senatorial district has insisted that the Senate must conduct its own investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), maintaining that the National Assembly cannot rely solely on the ongoing Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) probe ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
Kawu made the assertion after the Senate declined to debate his motion seeking an investigation into the inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Presiding over plenary, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the Senate would await the outcome of the ICPC investigation before taking any further action on the matter.
He noted that President Tinubu had already directed the anti-graft agency to investigate the controversy surrounding the agency’s inclusion in the budget.
Speaking with journalists after plenary, Kawu argued that while he welcomed the President’s decision to order an investigation, the legislature also has a constitutional duty to account for the budget it approved.
“I commend Mr. President for setting up a committee to investigate the matter. He is doing what he is supposed to do. But the National Assembly must also do its own because the budget lies with us,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that his concern was not the legality of establishing the agency, acknowledging that the President has the constitutional authority to create agencies where necessary.
According to him, the real issue is how the PFIPC secured a budget line of over N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“I am not talking about the creation of the agency. What I want to know is who facilitated the inclusion of that agency in the national budget,” Kawu stated.
He said the proposed investigation should determine whether the budget provision originated from the Executive or was introduced during the appropriation process by the National Assembly.
“If it came from the Executive, we need to know. If it was introduced during the budget process by the National Assembly, then we also need to know who facilitated it,” he added.
Kawu further said the investigation should establish whether any funds had been released under the budget line, the accounts into which such funds were paid and the officials who authorised the transactions.
According to him, leaving the matter entirely to the Executive could expose the National Assembly to allegations of complicity.
“National Assembly is part of the process. President cannot do our work for us,” he said.
Earlier in his motion, Kawu warned that the inclusion of a reportedly unauthorised entity in the national budget could undermine the credibility of the appropriation process, weaken public confidence in the National Assembly and raise concerns about transparency and fiscal accountability.
Although the Senate did not adopt the motion, Kawu said he was satisfied that he had formally placed the issue before the chamber.
“Nobody can now say the National Assembly kept quiet. History will judge whether we discharged our constitutional responsibility,” he said.
