Supreme Court Victory: Senate President Congratulates Tinubu

President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on the reaffirmation of his victory by the Supreme Court describing the decision as reflective of the will of the people. Akpabio in a congratulatory message to Tinubu by Eseme Eyiboh, his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, said the decision of the apex court was a welcome relief. He said the victory finally unfastens the last bolts to the path for social-political engineering that President Tinubu promised the nation. “Mr President, I am personally elated that the jurists of the Supreme Court saw through the arguments and even without much technicalities easily confirmed your victory in the poll. “There is no doubt that victory came at a cost, but Mr President, that makes it even sweeter. “I know you have in your years of public service yielded your personal and other comforts for the collective good and what it cost to confirm the victory in the courts should be seen with a similar vista,” he said. Akpabio also urged the president not to relent in being a father figure to his former rivals, saying that it is superfluous to remind the president of his well-known big heart. He also called on the major rivals of the president to sheath their swords of political combat and join hands with his administration in the collective goal of making the nation great again. “The elections have been announced by the electoral authorities and confirmed by the courts, and I call on all former political rivals of the president to show good faith by joining hands with the Bola Tinubu’s administration in its ongoing efforts to take the nation to a higher level,” he said. He said that the National Assembly would continue to support the Tinubu Administration by leveraging its legislative tentacles to raise the level of governance to a higher pedestal.

Akpabio Discloses Health Status Of Ministerial Nominee Who Collapsed

*As Senate Confirms Nominees Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has provided an update on the condition of Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the ministerial nominee who fainted during Wednesday’s screening session. Abass had slumped while answering questions after presenting his profile to the lawmakers.  This sudden incident prompted the Senate to go into a closed session as medical personnel rushed to the chamber to assist the nominee. After a few minutes of tense moments, Abbas was successfully revived and taken out of the Senate Chamber via an ambulance. Akpabio explained that Balarabe Abbas Lawal attributed his collapse to exhaustion, as he had been working tirelessly for several days leading up to the screening.  Despite his condition, the nominee was determined to proceed with the screening, insisting that he was fit to do so. In related news, the Nigerian Senate has confirmed three more ministerial nominees nominated by President Bola Tinubu.  The newly confirmed nominees include Balarabe Abbas Lawal from Kaduna State, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim from Kwara State, and Ayodele Olawande from Ondo State. These confirmations followed their successful screening, which was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. President Tinubu had submitted their names to the Senate for approval, and their confirmation comes just a day after his request was received by the National Assembly.

Questions For Akpabio’s Senate Over Confirmation Of Ministerial Nominees

When the Senate announced on 9 August that it would commence a recess and resume on 26 September, it left a few questions unanswered. Its major assignment until that point was the screening of 48 ministerial nominees forwarded to it in batches by President Bola Tinubu. On 7 August, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced that the Senate had confirmed 45 of the 48 ministerial nominees it screened over the previous week. Senator Akpabio blamed the non-confirmation of three nominees on security reports from the State Security Service. The nominees whose confirmations were withheld were Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State; Stella Okotete, an executive director at NEXIM Bank and; Abubakar Danladi, a former senator. Mr Akpabio’s shocked many Nigerians, especially given Mr El-Rufai’s political standing. He is believed to have accepted El-Rufai’s nomination as minister only after considerable pressure from President Tinubu. His non-confirmation and those of his two colleagues, therefore raised questions about the entire screening process, who influenced it, the role of security agencies in it, and the options for redress by the persons of whom the purported security reports may have impugned. As the Senate resumed last week, it is yet to answer these questions or grapple with the implications of the constitutional provision, which deems a nominee to have been confirmed as minister, if no return is received from the Senate within 21 working days of receipt of his or her nomination. Who Confirms: The Senate or Akpabio? During the proceedings of 7 August, Mr Akpabio named the 45 confirmed ministerial nominees. And as mentioned, he announced the non-confirmation of the other three nominees, attributing the decision to security reports. There was no debate by the Senate on the content or merit of the security reports as it pertained to the nominees, neither was any vote taken on the matter. It felt more like diktat than a collegial or collective decision. Many senators were said to have been incensed that Mr Akpabio usurped their powers, and twisted what should be an institutional responsibility into an unprecedented exercise of personal power. That was believed to be one of the issues fuelling the grievance of some senators against Mr Akpabio, who recalled that despite its hostility to the executive, the Bukola Saraki Senate leadership did not embarrass President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet nominees in 2015. What Is the Status of the Three Nominees Yet To Be Cleared? While the Senate was on recess, President Tinubu nominated two more ministers. The Senate is likely to conduct their screening this week; an exercise that will remind everyone of the pending confirmations of Mr El-Rufai, et al. The expectation is that the Senate will be eager to clear up the issue once it resumes. But there are arguments by some people that Messrs El-Rufai, Okotete and Danladi are already deemed as confirmed ministers by virtue of Section 147 (6) of the Constitution, which states that “An appointment to any of the offices aforesaid shall be deemed to have been made where no return has been received from the Senate within twenty-one working days of the receipt of nomination by the Senate.” Whether or not this interpretation prevails, the Senate is expected to dispose of the hazard it hung on the neck of nominees like Mr El-Rufai, who was publicly courted, to join the Tinubu government and Mrs Okotete, who is serving in a senior role within a federal parastatal. Who Influences the Screening Process? Some aggrieved senators are alleging that external forces and personal interest influenced Mr Akpabio’s action. Influential figures from the executive branch are believed to have pressured Mr Akpabio to block the confirmation of certain persons. In persuading the Senate president to act as they desired, the figures from the executive branch recalled a similar event during the Buhari years, when security reports from the Lawal Daura-led DSS, a parastatal of the executive branch, was used to thwart the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC chairman. But unlike Magu’s case, no security agency has owned up to issuing any adverse report on President Tinubu’s nominees. There is yet to be any valid security issue about the concerned nominees made known and neither have the so-called petitions nor security reports been brought to their knowledge. The Role of Security Agencies The creeping deployment of security reports as a tool for political intrigue, as seen in the latest ministerial confirmation saga and the past case of Ibrahim Magu risks making an issue of public trust in the integrity of security reports. Politicians are being accused of cloaking, as security reports, innuendos and angst arising from political differences, ruptured friendships, failed marriages and even ill-fated dalliances. For the health of the polity, politicians are advised to use other tools in their contestations, rather than imperil the objectivity of security reports and thereby devalue the hard work of the security agencies that compile them. Nigerians await Senator Akpabio-led Senate’s answers to these bewildering non-confirmation of President Tinubu’s nominees. *About the Author: Femi Falade is a teacher and public affairs analyst. He writes from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State and can be reached via faladeolufemi2003@yahoo.com.

Senate adjourns plenary until July 4

Following the adoption of a motion by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jubril (APC) Kano, the Senate on Wednesday, adjourned plenary until July 4. The Senate earlier approved a motion informing President Bola Tinubu that a quorum of the 10th Senate had been assembled and that the Presiding Officers had been elected. It also adopted a motion to write letters of congratulatory messages to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives on their election. The letters will also notify them of the election of the President and Deputy President of the Senate. It also at plenary adopted a motion to write to international parliamentary bodies informing them that a quorum of the 10th Senate had been assembled and that the Senate was ready to receive communication. The bodies included the African Union (AU), ECOWAS Parliament, Common Wealth Parliamentary Association (CWPA),Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) among others.

Senate Presidency:  Sanwo-Olu receives ‘Stability Group’, supports Akpabio

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sunday expressed support for the ambitions of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Sen. Barau Jibrin as President and Deputy President of the 10th Senate, respectively. Sanwo-Olu expressed his support at a consultative visit to Lagos House, Marina, when he received members of the “Stability Group’’, consisting 69 senators-elect, who already endorsed Akpabio and Jibrin. He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination process to pave the way for election of senate leadership was in order. He noted that Akpabio’s team possessed the political credentials and leadership qualities to bring about uncommon transformation in the country. The governor said he aligned with APC’s zoning decision having read the legislative agenda initiated by the Akpabio-led group to raise the bar of law-making. He stressed that it was instructive that the group was prepared to collaborate with the incoming administration of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu. He urged the senate leadership nominees to make purposeful legislations their priority, while maintaining harmonious working relationships with other arms of government without compromising legislative independence. “Having discussed plans and agenda presented by `Stability Group’ led by Sen. Akpabio extensively, I believe it is appropriate that we, in Lagos State give them our official endorsement. “This is a project for the stability of the country which will benefit Nigerians, especially the people who elected these distinguished lawmakers-elect. “They are committed to working harmoniously with the Executive arm of government and this will bring about a win-win for all our citizens and for democracy. “We are encouraging other lawmakers-elect who are yet to be on this group to fall in line. “I also appeal to the `Stability Group’ to continue its consultation and collaboration and not to take anyone for granted,’’ Sanwo-Olu said. He added that members of the group had assured him that they would make the senate leadership as inclusive as possible. “The diversity they are preaching is reflected in the number of senators-elect in the group; it is not one party. The membership cuts across all parties that are represented in the National Assembly. “I believe the incoming 10th National Assembly will be about great possibilities and shaping new course for the nation. “Given the outstanding profile and experience Sen. Akpabio and his group are bringing to the table, I believe there will be new standards and new legislative records will break. “I will only urge the incoming senate leadership to surpass whatever achievements recorded by the 9th Senate,’’ the governor added. Akpabio, a former Senate minority leader representing Akwa Ibom Northwest, described Tinubu as “God’s own choice’’ for the country’s leadership. He noted that the incoming Tinubu administration required the support of dynamic legislative leadership to work together to deliver promises made to Nigerians. The former Akwa Ibom governor said he would deploy multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and national approaches to law-making, if he became senate president. He said that the Senate under his leadership would have a complete control over its affairs without being confrontational with the Executive arm of government. Akpabio said that he and his proposed deputy would work with the Tinubu administration to make the country better and make laws that would support development. “The `Stability Group’ of the 10th Senate is made up of men and women of integrity. We came to present ourselves to the Lagos State governor and to solicit his support. “He has thrown his support behind us; he has shown so much hospitality. Today, he endorsed my humble self as President of the 10th Senate and Sen. Jibrin as Deputy Senate President-designate. “We are not taking this support for granted. This team has senators-elect from different political backgrounds and parties,’’ he said. Akpabio added that the group was determined to ensure collaboration and support for the incoming administration of Sen. Tinubu whose presidency is a nationalistic project that will bring positive development to Nigeria. “We want Sen. Tinubu to replicate what has happened in Lagos in the last 24 years of democracy to cover the rest of the country. “Particularly, we are challenged by the economy; we want to see serious improvement in Internally-Generated Revenue of the nation to enable us to repay our loans. “We want to see more foreign direct investments. We will support Tinubu through favourable legislations to ensure Nigeria remains investment-friendly and the business destination in Africa,’’ Akpabio stressed.