By Dansu Peter
Just as President Muhammadu Buhari returned yesterday from his 100 days medical leave at the United Kingdom, the Senate reignited it supremacy battle with the Presidency as advised the nominees recently announced by the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to head three Federal Government agencies not to resume work until their nominations are confirmed in accordance with the provision of the Constitution and the established laws of the affected institutions.
The Senate has been at loggerhead with the Presidency over confirmation controversies of some nominees by the President. Prominent of such was the rejection of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, which the Senate rejected, but the Presidency insists he must be.
The nominees affected by the Senate’s directive are Ali Usman who has been nominated as Director-General of the Pension Commission (PenCom), Dr. Mohammed Isah, Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau (CBB) and Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
In a statement by its spokesperson, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate noted that “the leadership of the Senate has been inundated by enquiries from individuals from across the country who want to know whether the statement from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the effect that the nominees into the headship of PenCom, Code of Conduct Bureau and ICPC should resume work immediately pending their confirmation by the Senate was as a result of an understanding between the executive and the legislature.”
It further advised the presidency to halt the planned resumption of the nominees to avoid undue friction with the legislature. “We will like to advise the Acting President who was quoted to have given the directive for the resumption of the nominees that the directive was illegal and not right. The Senate will not support any action that is not in line with the law.”
“We advise the nominees to hold on until they are cleared by the Senate as required by the law before resuming in their respective offices. We do not want anything that will cause any problem between the executive and the legislature,” the statement reads.
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