- Insists no law broken
Amid allegations of constituency projects’ abuse, Women professionals from Cross River North have passed a vote of confidence on their lawmaker in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Jarigbe Agom, insisting he has done no wrong.
Operating under the aegis of Women Accountability Watch (WAW), the group maintained that their respected lawmaker, aside giving the Senatorial district quality representation, has not violated any known procurement law in the country.
The women’s reaction comes on the heels of reports by some online media alleging that Senator Jarigbe used a company of family members to execute constituency projects.
In throwing their weight behind Jarigbe, who represents Cross River North in the 10th Senate, WAW faulted the reports as “malicious and bad politics”, noting that no breaches of regulatory compliance in terms of statutory procurement provisions have been observed.
A statement signed by WAW’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Agbo Aruku, further said the fact that the projects in question were duly and properly executed count more than the issues around those contracted to execute them.
According to the group, at a time when “we only hear about approvals for contracts without seeing their execution in some parts of Cross River State, Senator Jarigbe has scored high in his attraction and execution of contracts in Cross River North.
“Senator Jarigbe remains unbeatable in projects execution amongst his peers in the state. He has delivered on roads, solar light installations, borehole drillings, schools renovation and equipping as well as in empowerment and scholarship awards.
“We wish to caution all those behind the allegations to desist from distracting our Senator from the developmental work he is carrying out in the constituency or face the full weight of wrath.”
The statement further said the Procurement Act 2007 in Sections 16(1) and 54(1)(b) together imply that: Family members of public officials aren’t barred from bidding if they meet eligibility criteria (Section 16(1)); and Public officers shouldn’t have private interests in procurement contracts, emphasizing transparency (Section 54(1)(b)).
The women group maintained that Senator Jarigbe has not breached any law given that he is not a director of the company, and the company was duly eligible and the projects executed transparently.
While expressing confidence in Senator Jarigbe’s performance and style of representation, WAW noted that Cross River North is experiencing its best era yet in terms of unparalleled progress, overall infrastructure development, and political benefits that surpass previous times
