Uproar In The Senate As Buhari Nominates A Northerner To Replace A Southerner

Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe has rejected the nomination of Aisha Umar (North East) as Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of Oyindasola Oni as Chairman and Aisha Umar the DG of PENCOM Board, respectively.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, read the letter on the floor of the Senate during plenary. Abaribe however raised a point of order following the reading of the letter by Lawan.

The Abia South Senator insisted that the nomination of a candidate from the Northeast to replace the former Director-General (DG) of PENCOM, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu from Southeast was in breach of the Act establishing PENCOM.

He noted the National Pension Commission Act 2014 provided that “in the event of a vacancy, the President shall appoint replacement from the geo-political zone of the immediate past member that vacated office to complete the remaining tenure.”

He maintained the replacement for Mrs Anohu-Amazu must come from the South East.

Abaribe said: “I recall that the tenure of the incumbent was truncated therefore, the new letter from the President that has now moved the Chairman of the Commission to another zone may not be correct because it is against the law setting up the National Pension Commission.

“Before you send it to the appropriate committee tomorrow, I wish to draw the attention of the committee to it.”

Lawan, in his response, said: “That is for me to interpret because I interpret the laws here.

“If there is any petition to that effect it should be sent to the committee.”