The Senate has distanced itself from the arrest warrant issued by its Committee on Public Accounts against the immediate Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari. The chamber also condemned uncomplimentary comments by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves”.
The repudiation came after a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele under a point of order on urgent national importance. Bamidele said the Senate had to protect its institutional integrity, ensure adherence to the Legislative Houses’ Powers and Privileges Act and protect fair hearing and due process.
The controversy broke on Wednesday when the Public Accounts Committee, led by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, resumed its investigation into queries raised against NNPCL by the Auditor General of the Federation in audit reports for the years 2017 to 2023. At the session with the former NNPCL management, the committee resolved to issue an arrest warrant against Kyari.
At the same session, Senator Oshiomhole, a member of the committee, made negative comments about NNPCL. The former management team were interrogated and he described the company as “a bunch of criminals and thieves”.
But barely 24 hours later, the Senate in plenary, disowned both the committee’s action and Oshiomhole’s comments, stressing that they did not reflect the position of the institution.
Bamidele told the Senate any committee performing oversight under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution must do so in accordance with natural justice, fairness, objectivity, parliamentary responsibility and respect for the rule of law.
“Although the Senate has broad investigative and oversight powers, such powers must be exercised in a manner that does not create the appearance of bias, prejudice, prejudgment or predetermined conclusions about any person or institution being investigated,” he said.
He specifically argued that the warrant of arrest issued against Kyari was fraught with procedural irregularities and should be declared null and void. He also called on the Senate to discountenance Oshiomhole’s description of NNPCL.
“Such procedural irregularities may expose Senate proceedings to avoidable legal challenges and diminish public confidence in the institution,” warned Bamidele. He said that any statements suggesting guilt before the conclusion of the investigations were prejudicial to the proceedings.
The motion was strongly supported by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Senate Whip Tahir Monguno, Senator Adamu Aliero who described Oshiomhole’s comments as reckless, and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who moved that Oshiomhole withdraw the statement.
In his reaction, Oshiomhole said he made the comments under duress occasioned by equally uncomplimentary remarks against the Senate and senators by former NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, Alhaji Umar Ajiya, during the investigative hearing.
The Senate, in its resolution, formally distanced itself from Oshiomhole’s statement calling NNPCL “a bunch of criminals and thieves,” stating that such comments are not the official stance or determination of the Senate.
The chamber also discounted the purported arrest warrant issued by the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, against Mele Kyari.
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