Senate Refers Ex-INEC Boss, Mahmood Yakubu To C’ttee, Throws Out Akpata, Confirms 7 Consumer Protection Nominees

• Sends Buhari’s request for confirmation of Prof Mahmood Yakubu as INEC Chair, Others to Committees

As the legislative year runs to an end, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday rejected the nomination of Mrs Yinka Osoba Akpata as Executive Commissioner representing the South West geo-political on the Board of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The Upper legislative Chambers, however, confirmed the nomination of  seven nominees to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The confirmation of the seven nominees was premised upon the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment chaired by Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (PDP- Osun East).

The seven nominees confirmed by the Senate are as follows: Barr. Emeka Nwakpa, Chairman (South-East); AVM Wakili Abdullahi Ahmed, Non-Executive Commissioner (North-West); Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi, Executive Commissioner (North-East); Babatunde Irukera, and Executive Vice Chairman/CEO (North-Central).

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The rest include: Ben Obi Nwoye, Non-Executive Commissioner (South-East); Theophilus Oyebiyi, Non-Executive Commissioner (North-Central); and Ayang Francis Eyam, Non-Executive Commissioner (South-South).

In his presentation, the Chairman of the Senate  Committee on Trade and Investment, Senator  Fadahunsi (PDP- Osun East), explained to  lawmakers that the committee opted to recommend the rejection of  Akpata’s nomination on grounds that she failed to appear before the Committee for screening.

In the meantime, the Senate on Wednesday dispatched six confirmation requests by President Muhammadu Buhari to relevant committees for further deliberation and consideration.

The President of the Senate,  Dr Ahmad Lawan,  while presiding during plenary forwarded  Buhrai’s request for the  consideration and confirmation of the Chairman and Members of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to the Committee responsible for Youths and Sports.

Also referred were the requests for the confirmation of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), and Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru as INEC Commissioner, respectively.

Both requests were accordingly forwarded  to the Senate Committee on INEC chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya, an APC ranking Senator, representing  Kano South.

In another vein, the confirmation of the nominations of members of the Governing Council of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADEC) as well as appointments of Chairman, Vice Chairman and Commissioner for the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission were similarly forwarded to the Senate Committee on Power.

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Similarly, Onyemuche Nnamani ‘s nomination  by President Buhari for confirmation as a member of the Police Service Commission was referred by Senate President, Dr Lawan to the Committee on Police Affairs for consideration and deliberation.

Apparently, given the need to wrap up things before the close of the legislative year, the Committees were all given four weeks to report back to the Senate accordingly.