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Senate Screens 14 More Nominees, Asks 10 to ‘Take a Bow and Go’
The Nigerian Senate on Thursday screened 14 ministerial nominees.
This brings to 24 the total number of nominees screened after 10 were screened on Wednesday.
Of the 10 screened on Wednesday, six were asked to ‘take a bow’.
And of the 14 screened on Thursday, 10 were given the same special treatment of not asking them questions.
This implies the Nigerian Senate has cleared two-thirds of ministerial nominees without asking them critical questions on their competence for the job.
The reasons for asking the majority nominees to ‘take a bow’ ranged from being former lawmakers (federal or state) to being ‘loyal’.
The final ministerial nominees screened by the Senate on Thursday were given the traditional “take a bow treatment.”
A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammadu Bello, was the 12th nominee to be screened by the Senate.
After his lengthy address to the lawmakers, he prayed that they accord him the traditional “bow and go” treatment because he is a member of the National Assembly “by association.”
Kebbi State senator, Adamu Aliero, noted that Mr Adamu had been screened before. He said there was no need to delay asking him to leave.
“He has done very well. He has mentioned critical infrastructure. With your permission, let the nominee take a bow and go,” he said.
Other lawmakers including Elisha Abbo, supported the call that the nominee is given the special treatment. The lawmakers unanimously agreed to let Mr Adamu take a bow.
The 13th and 14th nominees were a Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Sa’adiya Farouk; and a former finance minister, Zainab Ahmed.
They were asked to take a bow on grounds of gender and excellent presentations.
Speaking after Ms Farouk’s presentation, the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, stated that she has established her DNA in the National Assembly having served in the legislative complex.
“The nominee having established her DNA in the National Assembly is allowed to bow and go,” he said.
“The Senate is gender-sensitive. Give support to female senators and female stakeholders that we interact with. You have the entire Senate behind you,” was the remark of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
After reverting to plenary to report progress on the screening of 14 ministerial nominees, Mr Lawan said the screening exercise will resume on Friday and next Monday.
Nominees to be screened on Friday are Hadi Sirika, Abubakar Malami, Gbemisola Saraki and Goddy Jedy.
Others are Osagie Ehanire, Suleiman Adamu, Pauline Tallen and Muhammadu Dingyadi.
Premium Times
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
ThisDay
