After the customary 21 days required by law for a statutory instrument tabled before the House of Parliament, if there is no opposition to it, automatically it becomes law, hence the statutory instruments on the Commission of Inquiry have been legitimized.

Statutory instruments 64 and 65 establishing the Commission of Inquiry laid before the House on August 2nd 2018 by the deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice automatically became law after midnight yesterday, following the 21 days expiration.

The Instrument stated that, by the power conferred on the President pursuant to Section 147 subsection (1), the President has appointed a Commission that will be chaired by a Nigerian Judge, Justice Biobele Georgewill and its Secretary, Mr. Digger Macfoy.

The Commission is appointed to examine the assets and other related matters in respect of persons who were President, Vice President, Minister, Ministers of State and Deputies, Heads and Chairmen of Boards of Parastatals, Departments and Agencies within the period from November 2007 to April 2018.

Though the main opposition party, as matter of procedure, was clamoring for both documents to be debated since it borders on the establishment of a Commission that will look into the activities of some former government officials, their effort was frustrated by their colleague Member of Parliament, Hon. Daniel Koroma who tabled the motion doing so, according to the Speaker of the House, under the wrong Standing Order.

According to the Speaker, the APC lawmaker should have tabled his motion for the debate using Standing Order 25 instead of 18 and so ruled out any debate on the two instruments.
Hon. Koroma joined by 29 other petitioners in the House wrote to the Clerk of the House to get the Speaker to consent to their request for the Commission of Inquiry instruments to be debated to no avail; with the Clerk ruling that the decision of the Speaker who is the supreme authority in parliament is final.
President Julius Maada Bio's cabinet on 6 July approved a wide-ranging probe focusing on 'unexplained wealth' allegedly accumulated by officials of the former President Ernest Bai Koroma led APC government. It came two days after the release of a damning transition report that accused the officials of plundering the state.

The Government Transition Team (GTT) report was ordered by President Bio to investigate the state of the country when he assumed office. The report revealed massive corruption under the Ernest Bai Koroma-led administration and recommended the formation of a judge-led commission and the prosecution of any official found wanting.