•Suspends confirmation of 3 others
From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate, yesterday, failed to confirm the nomination of Professor Mustapha Zubairu as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).
Similarly, the confirmation of three other nominees, namely, Ambassador Rufus Akeju (Lagos State), Dr. Mahmuda Isah (Kebbi State) and Ahmed Zubairu (Zamfara State), was suspended for further legislative work.
The nomination of Dr. Asmau Maikudi (Katsina, new appointment); Sam Olugbadebo (Ondo, reappointment); Prof Riskuwa A.Shehu (Sokoto, new appointment); Kasim Geidam (Yobe, reappointment); Jibrin Zarewa (Kano, reappointment); Abdulganiyu Raji (Oyo, new appointment); Prof Samuel G. Egwu (Kogi, new appointment) and Mike A. Igini (Delta, reappointment) were confirmed.
The Senate based its rejection of the nomination of Zubairu (Niger State) on the fact that he hails from the same area with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Federal Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna.
For Ambassador Akeju, Senator Biodun Olujimi drew the attention of the Senate to unfavourable court pronouncement on the Lagos State nominee.
Ambassador Akeju was cleared by the Senate Committee on INEC that screened the nominees.
Senator Solomon Adeola (Lagos West) put up strong argument to sway the Senate to confirm Akeju.
Adeola told his colleagues that the nomination of Akeju was not a fresh appointment but a reappointment. He noted that it was on record that Akeju served the country creditably during his first appointment and should therefore, be confirmed as nominated.
Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan also prayed the Senate to confirm the nominees. The nomination of Akeju, he said, is a clear case of reappointment.
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, on his part noted that though he agreed that the nominees should be confirmed, the Senate should not ignore court pronouncement of a nominee.
“There is a judicial pronouncement on the candidate, we should not ignore it. Let us look at court’s ruling, if the court said the candidate cannot hold the office, we cannot ignore it.”
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said it would be wrong for the Senate to sit in the chamber as an Appeal Court over the ruling of a high court. When Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki put the matter to vote, the confirmation of Akeju was defeated.
For Isah and Mahmud, their confirmation was stepped down for further legislative consultations.
Meanwhile Saraki has explained that reports that the Senate has softened its position on the confirmation of presidential nominees are not particularly correct.
Saraki’s explanation followed a Point of Order by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) that the actual position of the Senate on confirmation of nominees.
Abaribe noted that if the Senate has actually soft pedaled on confirmation of nominees as widely reported the pending confirmation of Abia State nominee for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should be carried.
The Senate President who quoted Sections 153(f) of 1999 Constitution (as amended) said that the Senate resolved to foreclose all confirmation requests.
He noted that there were confirmation requests specifically listed by the Constitution to do.
Saraki said that the confirmation of ministerial nominees, ambassadorial nominees, confirmation of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, RECs of INEC, were clearly stated in the Constitution for the Senate to carry out.
He said that resolution to suspend confirmation requests was specifically targeted at requests created by Acts of parliament because there were issues to resolve.