The floor of the Nigerian Senate,
on Thursday, witnessed a mild drama during the confirmation of the nomination
of 3 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Muhammadu Buhari, had
late last year, nominated Amb (Dr.) Rufus O. Akeju (Lagos), Ahmad Bello Mahmud
(Zamfara) and Dr. Mahmuda Isah (Kebbi), among others, as REC representing their
respective states.
The entire nomination was, however,
rejected on the floor of the Senate on 28th March, 2017, as a result of the
Executive-Legislature rift over the inability of the Presidency to sack Mr.
Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Presenting a report on the floor
on Thursday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif,
said his committee recommended the confirmation of the nominees from Lagos and
Kebbi but did not support the confirmation of Ahmad Bello Mahmud from Zamfara
state.
According to him, the committee
consulted widely with stakeholders from Zamfara who overwhelmingly objected to
the appointment of Mr. Mahmud.
This did not go down well with
Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), who rejected the report of the
Committee, saying it was “insulting”.
Marafa said, though he saw a copy
of the letter from the state Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, expressing reservations
over the Mahmud’s nomination; but he, as a Senator from the state was not
consulted.
Another Senator from Zamfara,
Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, rose in support of the committee report, insisting that
Mr. Mahmud should not be confirmed as REC.
He said the nominee did not enjoy
the support of the stakeholders from Zamfara and as such, should be disqualified.
The Senate, therefore, rejected
Mahmud’s nomination as recommended by the committee.
In his remarks, the President of
the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, congratulated Amb (Dr.) Rufus O. Akeju
and Dr. Mahmuda Isah over their confirmation as RECs.
He urged the duo to contribute
their own quota to the development and improvement of the electoral process in
Nigeria.
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