Senate In Rowdy Session Over President Buhari’s Appointments

Senate in plenary (File Photo)

Senators React To Perceived Injustice In President Buhari’s Appointments

The Senate, during today’s plenary was thrown into a rowdy session for some minutes over the objection of some South-East senators to the lop sided appointments in President Buhari’s administration.

This follows a constitutional point of order raised by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu after its President, Bukola Saraki, read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari seeking legislative confirmation of appointments into the board of the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency.

Ekweremadu, noted that appointments by the President were not in compliance with the federal character provisions in the nation’s constitution as some regions were more favoured than others.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu rises on a Constitutional Point of Order and draws the attention of the Senate to the manner at which the government is making appointments to favour only a section of the country which is contrary to the Federal Character.

— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) July 19, 2018

Three other lawmakers from the South-East, senators Chukwuka Utazi, Mao Ohuabunwa and Obinna Ogba‎, also successively raised points of order to ask the chamber to suspend further consideration and screening of nominees pending the presentation and adoption of the report by the Committee on Federal Character.

However, in his submission during plenary, Majority Leader, Ahmad Lawan, argued that the appointments were balanced ‎”if you look at the larger picture.”

The senate chamber, however, became noisy as the lawmakers shouted ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

Saraki thereafter, ruled that the matter be referred to the Federal Character Committee, with a mandate to report back next week Tuesday.