The Senate has commenced investigation into the alleged resumption of Anthony Ojukwu as acting Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) without Senate confirmation.
This resolution was sequel to a Point of Order moved by Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi State) at Wednesday plenary.
Relying on media reports that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had asked the NHRC boss to resume without confirmation of the upper legislative chamber, Melaye said it is a contravention of the act establishing the commission.
While frowning at the order of the Attorney General, he warned that any nominee that resumes without Senate confirmation, runs the risk of disqualification when confirmation eventually starts.
Recall that on July 4, 2017, the Senate suspended all executive confirmation requests until Ibrahim Magu is removed as the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
BusinessDay gathered that aside the President’s request on the confirmation of the NHRC boss, over 40 nominees are pending at the Senate.
They include heads and board members of the Pension Commission (PenCom), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), two Deputy Governorship nominees and four members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) among others.
But speaking under Privilege, Melaye said his personal privilege and that of the Senate had been breached by Malami.
His words: “Nigeria is not a banana republic. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria swore on the 29th of May 2015 before men and God, to respect the Constitution and obey the rule of law. And if the Attorney General who is supposed to be custodian of our laws will flagrantly ask an individual who has been nominated by Mr President but had not been confirmed by the Senate to go and resume and the person has since resumed, then we are not practising democracy. We have no regard for the rule of law.
“My intention is to bring this abuse of office of the Attorney General to the notice of the Nigerian Senate. And it is becoming one too many. We must have an AGF that will respect his calling”.
He therefore urged the upper legislative chamber to take a decisive action and correct the anomaly.
In his ruling, Senate President Bukola Saraki, who presided over plenary, asked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha to ensure that such practices never happen again.
Although he referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, he, however, did not give a timeframe within which the panel will submit its report.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had in December 2017 written to the Senate seeking confirmation for the nomination of Anthony Ojukwu as Executive Secretary of NHRC.
On February 8, 2018, the AGF in a letter titled, ‘Approval To Resume Duty as Acting Executive Secretary of the NHRC’, asked Ojukwu to resume without Senate approval.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
