The House of Representatives has handed a 180-day suspension to Abdulmumin Jibrin, the former chairman of the House committee on Appropriation, who is at the centre of the budget padding scandal that has rocked the house in recent months.

This followed a motion moved by Nicholas Ossai, chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and privileges, and adopted by the whole House.

Jibrin will also not be able to hold any position of responsibility for the span of the current National Assembly.

The Kano State lawmaker had refused to appear before the house committee on ethics and privileges which had been mandated to investigate the complaints that Jibrin had undermined the integrity of the House.

It would be recalled that when the lawmakers returned from their 2-month leave on September 21, a lawmaker, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, moved a motion to have Jibrin investigated for allegedly breaching the privileges of the members.

The matter was subsequently referred to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for further investigation with the mandate to turn in their findings within one week.

Jibrin, however, boycotted the hearing, even though his demand that the sitting be thrown open to the public was met.

His suspension means that he would be banned from the premises of the National Assembly in the course of the disciplinary action, and would not receive salaries or allowances.

The House of Reps. sits three days in a week, meaning that Jibrin’s suspension would last more than a year.

Reacting to his suspension, Jibrin said he would sue speaker Dogara for contempt of court.

He said the case was in court as at the time the house tabled his matter.