‎APPA Decries Intimidation, Rejects House of Reps Verdict on NELMCO Petition ‎

‎The Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA) has rejected the ruling delivered by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets over its petition against the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), describing it as “hasty, biased, and unfair.”

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‎In a letter dated July 11, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of the Committee, APPA’s National President, Chief Princewill Okorie, said the association was “constrained to formally express” its rejection of the verdict rendered by Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Dabo Ismail, and published in a Newspaper on July 10, 2025.

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‎The group expressed shock that, despite receiving a letter signed by the Committee Chairman, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, inviting it to a “follow-up meeting” scheduled for July 10, it was instead served another letter dated June 2—on the same day the ruling was read.

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‎“Why should we be served a letter dated June 2 only on July 10—the very day the Committee chose to deliver its ruling? Where is the fairness?” the letter queried.

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‎The association also decried what it described as “misleading intentions and media ambush,” claiming that it was surprised to find several television cameras at the venue despite earlier warnings from the Committee to refrain from media engagement.

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‎“This suggests a deliberate attempt to use the media to justify an unjust ruling,” it stated, adding that the Punch report released that day reflected the Committee’s bias.

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‎APPA accused the Committee leadership of withholding critical documents submitted by NELMCO in response to the petition and denying it the opportunity to respond.

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‎“When we requested access to those documents, we were told we were not there for discussion, but only to hear the ruling. Shockingly, even when some Committee members suggested further investigation, their views were ignored,” the statement read.

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‎The association also cited instances of intimidation allegedly perpetrated by NELMCO’s management, including the reported arrest of its staff by DSS officers who accused them of leaking documents to APPA.

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‎“Our petition was even used during DSS interrogation of the staff,” the association said, adding that Hon. Dabo Ismail “acted more like a defense lawyer for NELMCO than an impartial lawmaker.”

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The association declared: “We totally reject the unfair and partial ruling delivered by Hon. Dabo Ismail on behalf of the Committee on Public Assets regarding our petition against NELMCO.”

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‎APPA reaffirmed its commitment to seeking justice through constitutional means, saying, “We are determined to engage the National Assembly using its oversight and investigative powers as provided in Section 88(2)(b) until justice and fair hearing are achieved.”

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