The Senate
has lifted its embargo on the confirmation of executive appointments made by
President Muhammadu Buhari, Owojela's Blog has confirmed.
It was
reliably learnt that the embargo, which lasted over one year, was lifted at a
closed-door session held by the lawmakers on October 10, 2018.
The embargo
was placed in protest against the retention of Ibrahim Magu as acting Chairman
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission despite his non-confirmation by
the Senate.
The senators
were also angered by a statement credited to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who
was quoted as saying that he agreed with the activist lawyer, Femi Falana
(SAN), that Section 171 of the Constitution empowered President Muhammadu
Buhari to make certain appointments without recourse to the legislature for
approval.
Speaking
with our correspondent on Sunday, a Peoples Democratic Party senator from the
South-East geopolitical zone said the lawmakers resumed from their annual
recess to lift the embargo.
The senator
spoke on the condition of anonymity because members are barred from making
public discussions in the chamber’s executive sessions.
He said, “We
have lifted that (the embargo). We did it (placed the embargo) based on certain
premises and after a while, those issues were resolved. You can see that we are
clearing the backlogs and all the outstanding screenings and confirmations. We
are doing them. So, it has been lifted.”
When asked
why there was no resolution vacating the earlier resolution placing the
embargo, the lawmaker said it was done behind closed doors.
“It must not
necessarily be a resolution as per coming on the floor. It was a resolution we
took at a closed session,” the senator said.
Chairman of
the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi,
could not be reached on the telephone on Monday to speak on the development.
Calls made to his telephone did not connect.
Several
calls made to the Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who had on several
occasions asked the Senate leadership to lift the embargo, were not picked.
Since the
National Assembly resumed from its annual two-month recess on October 9, 2018,
the Senate has confirmed series of appointments, some of which were under
embargo for over one year.
On October
10, the Senate confirmed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former National Legal
Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Dr Muiz Banire as Chairman of
the Governing Board of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria.
Same day,
the chamber confirmed Mr Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi as Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
On October
24, the Senate confirmed the appointments of the Chairman and 12 Commissioners
of the Federal Civil Service Commission.
Upon
resumption, members of the All Progressives Congress caucus had suspended their
plan to force Senator Bukola Saraki to resign as President of the Senate or
plot his impeachment.
Comments