FROM KEMI YESUFU AND FRED ITUA, ABUJA
TWO days after the appointment of Mohammed Sani- Omolori as the acting Clerk to the National Assembly, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, yesterday requested the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to reverse it, while further consultations were still ongoing on who should be the right occupant of the position.
Sani-Omolori who hails from Nasarawa State was named the acting Clerk to the National Assembly on Wednesday in a letter by the Chairman of NASC, Mr. Adamu Mohammed . Until his appointment, Sani- Omolori was the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
In a letter dated April 21 and signed by Saraki’s Chief of Staff, Isa Galaudu, the Senate President, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Assembly, said the appointment did not follow due process.
He said that the commission ought to have considered Ben Efeturi, who is currently the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, for the position vacated by Salisu Maikasuwa, who is proceeding on pre-retirement leave by end of April, 2016.
The letter, a copy of which was made available to Saturday Sun, reads: “The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were informed that Mr. Efeturi was not considered for the appointment because he was not duly appointed as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly.
“On further enquiry, we found he was duly appointed by the National Assembly Service Commission vide Extract from Minutes of its 403rd Meeting held on Friday, 21st November, 2014.
“From the foregoing, you have misled and misinformed the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Consequently, I am directed by His Excellency, the Senate President, to inform you that the letter appointing Mr Sani Omolori as Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, be withdrawn immediately for further consultations.”
Meanwhile, Saturday Sun findings showed that the National Assembly may be headed for a stalemate as the commission is sticking to its choice of Sani-Omolori.
Investigations showed that the body is of the opinion that by virtue of Sani-Omolori being appointed the substantive Clerk of the House of Representatives in 2010 and Efeture being appointed Acting Clerk of the Senate in 2011, Sani-Omolori is the most senior person in the Directorate Cadre.
A source close to the commission told Saturday Sun that the commission may not rescind it’s decision on the Acting CNA because of the belief that it fully oomplied with Section 14 Clause 5 of the National Assembly Service Act which states that, in exercising it’s power to appoint any staff, secretaries of directorates and directors, consideration should be given to seniority, cognate experience, competence or federal character.
“The Commission knows that the only person senior to Sani-Omolori in the National Assembly is Maikasuwa and that’s one of the reasons, they appointed him and they are standing by their decision” the source said.