DETAILS have emerged concerning the vexatious $5,000 (equivalent of N7.5million) payments to members of the House of Representatives (and more to senators) ahead of their vote on the proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
Ostensibly trying to put the records straight, Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has denied allegations that the payments were bribes intended to secure support for the state of emergency.
Speaking to investigative journalist, Jaafar Jaafar, Betara explained that the $5,000 distributed to lawmakers was simply a “Sallah Gesture” and not an inducement tied to the emergency rule.
Jaafar, sharing the details of his conversation with Betara on X, wrote: “The Chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 to each member of his committee as a ‘Sallah Gesture,’ not an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State.
“According to him, he maintains the tradition, like Santa Claus, every year. As we say in Hausa, not thigh, but hind leg.”
Betara’s statement followed public outcry over the real intention behind the payments, which he described as part of a long-standing tradition he follows, similar to holiday gifts, stressing that it had no connection to the political crisis in Rivers State.
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