Ebun Francis|
The Senate on Tuesday, postpone the confirmation of some nominees of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following protest from South East Senators over the lopsided nature of the nomination.
The committee had recommended that the Senate confirm Ndasule Moses, Lawan Mamman, Galadanci Najib and Adeleke Rafiu as members of the EFCC following the recommendation of the Chukwuka Utazi lead anti-corruption committee.
But senators from the southern part of the country protested.
Speaking after Utazi presented his report, Victor Umeh, the senator representing Anambra central, said the nominees should not be confirmed because the south-east and south-south were excluded.
“The south-south and south-east are not accommodated in the commission. On the issue of the fight against corruption – it involves all parts of Nigeria,” Umeh said.
“If you look at the composition, Mr. President some people will think that the fight against corruption is instituted against them. There is need to take people from other geo-political zones.”
According to Umeh, Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the commission; and Olanipkekun Olukoyede, secretary of the commission, are from the north-east and south-west respectively.
Umeh further noted that non of the four nominees to be confirmed are neither from the south-south or south-east.
Also, Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia south, urged the upper legislative chamber to suspend the consideration of the nominees until the list is amended.
In his contribution, Ali Ndume, the senator representing Borno south, noted that Utazi should have drawn the attention of the Senate leadership to the matter instead of recommending them for confirmation.
The lawmakers later went into a closed-door session to resolve the matter.
At the end of the closed-door session, Senate President Bukola Saraki announced the suspension of the confirmation of the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) nominees for further legislative input.