By Tekena Amieyeofori
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has accused the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, of reaching conclusions on matters that are already being litigated in court.
The rights group cautioned that the committee’s approach risks eroding the rule of law and weakening public trust in legislative oversight.
HURIWA also condemned the continued custody of the main suspect, Prince Adeyemi, saying his absence from the panel’s sittings prevented him from responding to the allegations made against him publicly.
In a statement released on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA claimed the way the committee handled the probe suggested that decisions had already been made before all involved parties were given a hearing.
According to rights group, the proceedings held by the panel recently “was not a genuine legislative oversight exercise but a carefully choreographed political spectacle apparently designed to manufacture a predetermined narrative and shield highly placed public officials from searching scrutiny.”
The group said the haste with which the committee allegedly dismissed Prince Adeyemi’s appointment letter as counterfeit, and made declarations on the validity of documents, casts doubt on the neutrality of the inquiry.
“This is not legislative oversight. It is legislative overreach. This is not accountability. It is, in our view, an attempt to influence public perception while judicial proceedings remain pending,” the statement said.
HURIWA insisted that the National Assembly should avoid actions that could preempt the outcome of a case already before a competent court.
The group also faulted the Nigeria Police Force for failing to present Prince Adeyemi before the committee despite several invitations, describing its explanation as inadequate.
It noted that keeping the suspect in detention and excluding him from the hearings raises concerns about due process and the right to fair hearing as provided in Section 36 of the Constitution.
“Justice cannot be done in the absence of the central figure in the controversy,” HURIWA stated, adding that denying him the opportunity to confront the allegations before the panel offended constitutional principles.
The group further alleged that the committee seemed more focused on exonerating certain top government officials than carrying out a thorough investigation into the issues around the PFIPC.
It argued that, given the level of public interest, the Chief of Staff to the President ought to have stepped down voluntarily to allow what it called an independent and transparent investigation that Nigerians could trust.
HURIWA wondered why the probe appeared to zero in on one person, even though allegations suggest that multiple ministries, departments and agencies handled the disputed documents.
“If forged documents allegedly passed through several government ministries, departments and agencies, Nigerians deserve answers as to how such documents repeatedly escaped institutional verification,” the group said.
It cautioned against turning the inquiry into what it described as “a convenient exercise in identifying a lone scapegoat while systemic failures and possible official complicity receive little or no rigorous examination.”
The organisation called on the House of Representatives to stop making public statements amidst ongoing court cases, and to allow the judiciary to decide the matters without interference.
It also urged the Nigeria Police Force to obey all lawful procedures concerning Prince Adeyemi and to uphold his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
HURIWA further charged Nigerians to stay alert, stressing that public institutions gain legitimacy by upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, not by bowing to political considerations.
The group maintained that the credibility of the investigation will be measured by how impartial, transparent, and constitutionally compliant it is, rather than by the number of accusations made during public hearings.