The House of Representatives yesterday urged the board of African Development Bank (AfDB) to halt all further investigation of the president of the bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina.
"On investigation by the ethics committee of the board of directors, the allegations were found to be frivolous, unsubstantiated, lacking merit and Dr Adesina was exonerated of all the 16 allegations.
Elumelu however expressed concerned that though the ethics committee of the board of directors followed the established law governing AFDB in arriving at their decision in absolving Adesina of the allegations, the United States treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin in a letter to the chairperson of the bank, Niale Koba, rejected the verdict of the committee and called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Adesina, whose tenure is due for renewal given the fact that he is the only contender to the office.
"This action may be an attempt to discredit Adesina from seeking another term at the helm of Africa's largest multilateral lender, former African leaders in their wisdom led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo and signed by 11 other former African head of states and endorsed by 4 former African leaders issued a press statement showing the grave danger it portends to disregard the laws governing an institution such as the AFDB as well stating in clear terms that no nation no matter how powerful has a veto power over the African Development Bank.
On his part, the chairman, House Committee on Treaties and Protocols, Nicholas Ossai (PDP-Delta) said that there was no true African that did not support how Adesina had run the bank in the last four years.
