- Senate okays Keyamo, Bagudu, Umahi, Edun, Alake, Betta Edu, 39 others
- I want to serve in national interest , Wike writes PDP •Ministers for induction
After a stormy screening session yesterday, the Senate deferred the clearance of three ministerial nominees.
They are former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Executive Director, Business Development, NEXIM Bank Stella Okotete (Delta) and Taraba State nominee Abubakar Danladi.
The remaining 45 nominees, screened throughout last week, were confirmed for deployment.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said El-Rufai, Okotete and Danladi “are awaiting security clearance.”
The Senate thereafter proceeded on its annual vacation till September 26.
It was learnt that there were petitions pending against El-Rufai and Okotete, while there was an allegation of an extant Supreme Court judgment barring Danladi from holding public office, the circumstances of which he is expected to explain.
The screening of the last nominee, former APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesman, Festus Keyamo (SAN) (Delta), threw the Senate into a stormy session.NextStay
The spark was a motion by Sen. Darlington Nkwocha (Abia Central), which was seconded by Senator Eyinaya Abaribe (Abia South).
They demanded that Keyamo’s screening should be put on hold for disrespecting the 9th National Assembly when he was Minister of State (Labour and Employment).
After the rowdy session, the Senate moved into an executive session.
Akpabio, accompanied by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, made a brisk visit to Aso Villa. On their return, Keyamo apologised and was allowed to take a bow and leave.
The Senate returned to plenary for the confirmation hearing.
Those cleared are: Adebayo Olawale Edun (Ogun), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), Dele Alake (Ekiti), Abubakar Kyari (Borno), Abubakar Momoh (Edo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Joseph Utserv (Benue), John Enoh (Cross River), Bello Mohammad (Sokoto), Mohammed Abubakar (Jigawa), Yusuf Tuggar (Bauchi), Uju Ohaneye (Anambra), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo), Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia) and Betta Edu (Cross River).
Also confirmed are Sulieman Ibrahim (Nasarawa), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Ahmed Dangiwa (Katsina), Uche Nnaji (Enugu), Waheed Adelabu (Oyo), Mohammed Idris (Niger), Ali Pate (Bauchi), Doris Anite Uzoka (Imo), Lateef Fabemi (Kwara), Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Hannatu Musawa (Katsina), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger), Hieneken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Alkali Saidu (Gombe), Tanko Sununu (Kebbi) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).
Others are Abdullahi Tijani Muhammad Gwarzo (Kano), Bosun Tijani (Ogun), Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure (Kano), Iziaq Salako (Ogun), Tunji Alausa (Lagos), Lola Ade-John (Lagos), Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), Zephaniah Jisalo (Federal Capital Territory) and Uba Ahmadu (Taraba), Shuaibu Audu (Kogi).
The Presidency yesterday said the ministers-designate will undergo induction before they are sworn in.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, told The Nation that the inauguration of those confirmed is unlikely this week.
He said: “It’s unlikely (that they will be inaugurated), although it can happen, but it will be a surprise if it does.
“First, they are supposed to go through something like an induction programme to be organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). This may happen before swearing-in.
“Second, there’s no need to rush because the Permanent Secretaries have been carrying on with the running of the system.
“So, next week is more likely, or even the upper week.”
Wike notifies PDP of decision to serve in Tinubu’s cabinet
Minister-designate Nyesom Wike notified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of his decision to serve in the cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Wike, who also notified Governor Similaye Fubara of Rivers State, said the ministerial ticket would not affect his loyalty and commitment to the opposition party.
He explained in a letter to the PDP that his acceptance of the ministerial offer was in the national interest without pecuniary gains.
A source who spoke yesterday said all the organs of the party had been informed of Wike’s letter.
To avoid a backlash from the party, Wike was said to have consolidated his grip on the PDP structure in Rivers State from the ward to the state executive committee and the National Working Committee (NWC).
The source said: “Wike in his letter said he accepted to serve in Tinubu’s cabinet in the interest of the nation. He said it is time to come together to work hard to rebuild Nigeria where everyone will live in peace and harmony.
“He said his decision was not for pecuniary gains or benefits. He also pledged to remain a loyal and committed member of the PDP.
“He actually wrote the letter before he went for the ministerial screening. Everyone was caught off-guard.”
When prodded to speak on the reaction of the party the source replied: “PDP leadership has been weighing options because Wike is still a force to reckon with in the party.
“Managing such a situation requires wisdom because most NWC members of PDP are backing the ex-governor against some elements in the party who have been plotting either the suspension or the expulsion of the ex-governor.
“It is a dicey situation at a time when the party is favourably disposed to reconciliation. If any action is taken against Wike, it may lead to another division in the party.”
The Nation gathered that some of the leaders of the PDP cited a few antecedents to back Wike.
Another source said: “The PDP leadership is in dilemma over Wike’s choice. Some leaders said there is no express provision in the PDP Constitution barring a member from serving in a government formed by a rival party. We may need to amend our party’s constitution.
“It is not new because the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed, was in the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) when he accepted to serve as a minister on April 6th 2010 in the PDP administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Even in 1999, the late Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, was in the Alliance for Democracy(AD) when he chose to be a minister in the PDP government of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.”
How Keyamo’s screening sparked uproar
The screening of Keyamo was the most heated since the Senate commenced the process eight days ago.
The process was running smoothly when Senator Nwokocha raised a constitutional point of order and motion before asking that Keyamo’s screening be stood down.
His motion was seconded by Senator Abaribe.
Nwokocha told his colleagues that Keyamo had disrespected the 9th National Assembly by refusing to honour their summon when he was minister of Labour and Employment.
He explained that the invitation was extended to Keyamo to explain how N52 billion allocated for the Public Works Programme of the Federal Government in 774,000 councils was utilised.
The Senator also wanted to know from the nominee who supervised the programme how the beneficiaries were selected.
Nwokocha said: “I’ve been a two-time House of Assembly member, two-time House of Representatives member, and today a Senator and I was in the 8th Assembly of the House of Representatives.
“I want to bring to the notice of this House that sometime in 2020, an issue came up and that issue was the Public Works Programme.
“We all welcomed it with open hands because this is something that will help our people.
“Today, we are talking about paying N8,000 to some people to make sure that it will alleviate poverty, then it was N20,000 to 1,000 persons across the 774 local governments, which my local government is part of it and I’m sure your local government is part of it.
“This would have had a great multiplier effect that would make our people cushion so many effects that would have led our people into a very better height.”
Turning directly to Keyamo, the Senator, asked:” But what really happened?”
Without waiting for Keyamo to respond, he continued to address his colleagues, saying: “At a point, we wanted to carry out our responsibility because if some people can use the instrumentality of full law, which they find themselves within the confines of their own authority, to advance justice, why can’t we use the instrumentality of the Legislature to support our people and help the populace which we represent?
“Then, at that point, we invited the nominee because this thing has been a subject of controversy and public debate. We wanted to know and give you a fair hearing. Please tell us because it’s now within our own confines of authority to know what happened to our constituents.
“Please, he should tell us what really happened. What is the structure? What are the indices used to carry out this because our people will hold us responsible and accountable?
“When he was invited, what we are talking about is a N52 billion appropriation and the right of appropriation resides with the Legislature.
“That is our right. And I know quite well that the right of oversight resides on us because we have to hold you accountable for whatever thing we appropriate to you. It is our right.
“When he was invited, he expressly told the public that we want to hijack his role; that we want to blackmail him and that we are corrupt.
“I know that he midwifed the process, nobody is against that. He midwifed the process and this falls within his own area of operation as the junior Minister for Labour and Employment.
“Not only that, he went as far as saying in public when he was asked the indices used to pick the beneficiaries. He said and I quote: ‘They are not from the moon.’ That was too arrogant to answer Nigerians that way because we’re talking about what will support and help our people; that is why we are here.
“Today we need to find out how the money was spent and how he arrived at the beneficiaries. Nobody is stopping him from being confirmed.”
At this point, Akpabio stepped in, saying: “I’m happy the way the President has sent so many great people (nominees) here.
“We have questioned them, passed through the screening, wonderful people and we are ready, as much as they are ready to work with the system, we are ready to play our role, but not on the grounds of putting something under the table, not granting some people fair hearing because I would like us to grant him a fair hearing since he has been running away from Nigerians to know what really happened. He (Keyamo) is here and it’s our responsibility to find out what happened.
“I think that he has to tell us what happened but not here (Senate chambers).”
Akpabio then put the motion to voice vote. The majority of the senators shouted “Aays” while a few others answered “Nay.”
Following the development, most Senators left their seats and started speaking at the same time.
Akpabio then announced that he was going to put the question again, but could not proceed due to the uproar.
When the commotion worsened, the Senate President stood and addressed the session.
He invoked a rule of the Senate which says that when the Senate President is on his feet, all Senators must immediately take their seats and stop talking.
Order 63 of the Senate Standing Rules, reads: “Whenever the President of the Senate, or the chairman rises during a debate, any Senator then speaking or offering to speak shall sit down, and the Senate or the committee shall be silent so that the President of the Senate or the chairman may be heard without interruption.”
Following his invocation, the Senators sat and the session became calm.
Akpabio proceeded by calling on the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, to direct the Senate on what to do next.
Bamidele consequently moved a motion that the Senate should go into an executive session to deliberate on the issue.
The motion was seconded by Minority Leader Simon Mwadkwon.
After the executive session, the Senate took a break during which Akpabio accompanied, by Bamidele and other principal officers went to the State House to see President Tinubu.
When the Senate resumed the screening, Keyamo apologised and was asked to take his leave.
Before doing that, he explained that all records about the programme, especially payments to the beneficiaries, were with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Directorate of Employment(NDE).
Keyamo said: “And so, both ministers in the ministry and the head of the agency at that time that supervised the programme never saw one kobo.
“It was straight. All we did was to generate the list and send it to the CBN which paid directly to those individuals’ accounts.”
A serving member of the National Assembly, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was cleared notwithstanding claims last week that he forged his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
nation