…Probes alleged closure of Ondo assembly by police
The Senate on Tuesday stood down the confirmation of
13 appointees nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as chairman and members
of the governing boards of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is sequel to an observation raised by Senator
Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) that the nominees for the board appointments were
tilted towards some particular sections of the country while the Southeast and
South-south zones were left out.
The Senate had to dissolve into an executive
session to deliberate on the observation raised by Umeh to the report of the
eight-man Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes on the need for
Senate to confirm the nominees for EFCC board presented by the Chairman,
Senator Chukwuka Utazi.
At the end of the closed-door session which lasted
for about 20 minutes, Senate President Bukola Saraki said the Senate has
decided to step down the four board nominees for EFCC and the the chairman and
eight other nominees for ICPC board.
He stated that the upper chamber took the decision
to allow the Senate to liaise with the executive arm to address the
lopsidedness of the appointments with a view to having equitable representation
across the six geo-political zones.
Senator Utazi had earlier in the report, which
generated heated argument and mild drama among members, asked that the Senate
to approve the appointment of Ndasule Moses (North Central); Lawan Mamman
(North East); Galadanci Najim (North West) and Adeleke Rafiu (South West) as
members of the board of the EFCC.
He, however, said the committee observed that the
nominees were from four out of the six geo-political zones with no nominee from
both the Southeast and South-south zones.
Utazi noted that this was at variance with the
Federal Character principles as provided
in Section 14(3) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Umeh asked the Senate to suspend the confirmation
to allow the executive to ensure that all zones are represented on the board
"as fight against corruption involves all part of the country."
He wondered why the Northeast that produced the acting
chairman of EFCC would have a board member and the Southwest which has the commission
secretary is also having a board member while Southeast and South-south zones
are left out of the board composition.
Senators Mathew Urogbede (Edo South) and Enyinaya
Abaribe (Abia South) also canvassed that the report be stood down to ensure
even distribution of the appointments among all geo-political zones.
The nine ICPC board nominees whose confirmations were
also deferred because the North-east zone was not represented, include Prof Bolaji
Owasaoye, Chairman (Southwest); Grace Chinda (South-south); Okolo Titus (Southeast);
Obiora Igwedebia (Southeast) and Olubukola Balogun (Southwest).
Others are Adamu Bello (Northwest); Hannatu
Muhammed (Northwest); Abdullahi Saidu (North Central) and Yahaya Dauda (North
Central).
Also yesterday, the Senate resolved to investigate
the alleged closure of Ondo State House of Assembly by the police.
Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujinmi,
had while speaking under Orders 42 and 52, drew Senate attention to recent
happenings in Ondo State House of Assembly in Akure, the state capital, where
the legislators had reportedly been prevented from performing their legislative
duties by policemen.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and some other
senators, including Ajayi Borrofice (Ondo North), Atai Aidoko (Kogi East) and
Gbenga Ashafa ( Lagos East), in their contributions, condemned the alleged
police siege in the state parliament, and submitted that the Senate must act
with dexterity over the matter.
On his part, Saraki reminded his colleagues that
the police invasion of the parliament which started some months ago in Benue State
has now been extended to Kogi, Akwa Ibom and Ondo States.
He said the Senate "must stand strongly on
issues like this and the time is now to make an example of one or two people."
The Senate president thereafter referred the matter
to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs for urgent investigation and report
back to the Senate.
The Senate also directed the security personnel at
the Ondo State assembly to allow the legislators to sit and carry out
legislative duties expected of them.
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