Senate makes U-turn, submits report on 12 INEC RECs

Two weeks after it resolved to stop consideration of requests for confirmation of nominees from the Presidency, the Senate, on Wednesday made a U-turn, and accepted a report from its Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding 12 screened Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

BusinessDay gathered that the decision of the Senate to reverse itself was arrived at after a closed session.

The upper legislative chamber had on the 4th of July, 2017, vowed that requests from the Presidency will not be considered until the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo withdrew a statement credited to him, to the effect that some appointments from the President did not need Senate confirmation.

The position of the Senate a forthright ago, had followed the unveiling of a letter sent to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urging the upper chamber to confirm Lanre Gbajabiamila as the substantive Director-General of the National Lottery Commission (NLC).

Ahmed Sani (APC, Zamfara State), had raised Order 14 of the Senate Standing Rules and argued that since the Acting President had already concluded that the Senate lacked the powers to confirm nominees, there was no need to acknowledge any letter from the executive on issues related to confirmation.

The Senate had accordingly resolved that it would suspend any confirmation of nominees from the Executive until issues relating to the power of the Senate to confirm are resolved.

Lawmakers equally passed a resolution and re-enforced its earlier position that all nominees rejected by the Senate should be relieved of their duties, with a particular reference to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The legislative body had earlier confirmed 15 out of the 27 nominees sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

But at Wednesday plenary, the Senate received the report from its INEC committee.

The 12  nominees are Asmanu Sani Maikudi (Katsina State), Sam Olugbadebo Olumekun (Ondo), Mahmud Isah (Kebbi), Rufus Oloruntoyin Akeju (Lagos) and Riskuwa Shehu (Sokoto).

Others are Kassim Gana Geidam (Yobe), Jibrin Ibrahim Zarewa (Kano), Abdulganiyu Olayinka Raji (Oyo), Samuel Egwu (Kogi), Mike Igini (Delta), Mustapha Zubairu (Niger) and Ahmad Bello Mahmud (Zamfara).

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja