By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) of conducting what it described as a “political cover-up,” alleging that the panel has prejudged the matter, undermined the rule of law and risked influencing pending court proceedings.

The rights group said the committee’s conduct during its latest sitting suggested that it had already reached a conclusion before hearing all sides, insisting that legislative oversight should not be used to interfere with matters already before the courts.

National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the association was “strongly condemning what it describes as the disturbing and increasingly obvious attempt by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the so-called Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) to assume the role of investigator, prosecutor and judge in a matter that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

According to him, “What Nigerians witnessed during the committee’s latest sitting was, in our considered opinion, not a genuine legislative oversight exercise but a carefully choreographed political spectacle apparently designed to manufacture a predetermined narrative and shield highly placed public officials from searching scrutiny.”

HURIWA argued that the committee’s swift pronouncement that the appointment letter allegedly issued to Prince Adeyemi was fake, alongside repeated public declarations on the authenticity of documents, created the impression that its findings had already been predetermined.

“The speed with which the committee rushed to pronounce the appointment letter of Prince Adeyemi fake, its repeated public declarations on the authenticity of documents, and the tone adopted by the committee chairman all combine to create the unmistakable impression that the verdict had been written long before the hearing commenced,” Onwubiko stated.

He added: “This is not legislative oversight. It is legislative overreach. This is not accountability. It is, in our view, an attempt to influence public perception while judicial proceedings remain pending.”

The association maintained that the National Assembly should not conduct proceedings capable of prejudicing issues already before the courts, warning that such actions undermine the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

HURIWA also questioned the continued failure of the Nigeria Police Force to produce Prince Adeyemi before the committee despite repeated requests, describing the police explanation as unconvincing.

“The continued detention of the principal actor, the prolonged adjournment of his case, and his absence from proceedings where grave allegations are being publicly canvassed combine to raise fundamental questions about fairness, transparency and due process,” the group said.

It added that “Justice cannot be done in the absence of the central figure in the controversy. The refusal to produce him effectively deprives him of the opportunity to confront the allegations against him and present his own account before the committee. Such a situation offends the constitutional guarantee of fair hearing under Section 36 of the Constitution.”

The organisation further alleged that there appeared to be an effort to shield powerful public officials from scrutiny while focusing attention almost exclusively on one suspect.

“HURIWA is particularly disturbed by what appears to be an overwhelming determination to exonerate certain powerful officials without subjecting every aspect of the controversy to equal scrutiny,” Onwubiko said.

He argued that given the public interest generated by the allegations, “the appropriate democratic response would have been for” the Chief of Staff to the President “to voluntarily step aside to enable an independent and transparent investigation capable of commanding public confidence.”

According to HURIWA, “What Nigerians are witnessing appears to be an aggressive effort to protect the image of powerful public officials while directing the entire weight of public attention toward one detained suspect who has been denied the opportunity to publicly defend himself before the committee.”

The association also expressed concern that the investigation appeared to focus on one individual instead of examining possible institutional failures across government agencies.

“If forged documents allegedly passed through several government ministries, departments and agencies, Nigerians deserve answers as to how such documents repeatedly escaped institutional verification,” it said.

“The investigation should not become a convenient exercise in identifying a lone scapegoat while systemic failures and possible official complicity receive little or no rigorous examination.”

HURIWA called on the House of Representatives to halt further public pronouncements capable of influencing ongoing judicial proceedings and urged the Nigeria Police Force to comply with lawful processes relating to Prince Adeyemi.

It also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, insisting that “public institutions derive legitimacy from the Constitution and the rule of law—not from political expediency.”

“The credibility of this investigation will not be measured by the volume of accusations made at televised hearings but by whether justice is seen to be impartial, transparent and firmly anchored on constitutional principles,” the statement added.