Nigeria’s Senate has rejected a motion by Orji Uzor Kalu seeking to stop the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from monitoring government projects.
During Wednesday’s plenary, the former Abia State governor argued that the anti-corruption agency was taking over the oversight duties of lawmakers. He claimed that by tracking constituency and executive projects, the ICPC was interfering with the constitutional responsibilities of committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
However, the proposal was quickly opposed by several senior lawmakers.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, said the issue could be handled administratively rather than through a formal Senate motion.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also rejected the argument, stating that the ICPC was acting within its legal powers. He noted that the commission routinely tracks projects carried out by lawmakers in their constituencies, including some of his own.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, agreed with the objections and ruled against Kalu’s motion.
The ICPC operates a monitoring unit known as the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group, which investigates procurement processes and checks whether government-funded projects are completed.
The agency says the programme has helped save more than ₦30 billion by identifying abandoned or fraudulent projects in sectors such as health, education and water resources.
