IDOWU SAMUEL, Abuja - 15.11.2006

The Senate said the extension became necessary in the light of unforeseen circumstances which had affected the committee’s sitting.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, disclosed that the ad-hoc committee would welcome testimonies from both President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar both of whom had signified intention to appear before it.

Ndoma-Egba also stressed that live telecast of the public sitting of the committee would not be discouraged, saying any media organisation which desired to give the public sitting live coverage should forward the request to that effect early enough to the committee.

According to Ndoma-Egba, the probe of the PTDF account by the Senate required a long time to enable members of the committee digest huge volumes of documents and memoranda it had received.
He said the four-week extension of the committee sitting did not mean that the Senate was foot dragging on the job, stressing that the Senate had earlier under-estimated the volume of documentary evidence on the matter.

He disclosed that the last Sallah break, the crash of ADC aircraft which claimed the life of one of the committees members, Senator Sule Yari Ghandi and the initial delay in receipt of memoranda were factors which slowed down the progress of the committee.