Senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria have condemned the confirmation of a ministerial nominee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, by majority in the Senate, saying they were extremely disappointed by the decision.
Senator Obanikoro was confirmed, without much questioning, by majority in the Senate on Wednesday during the plenary.
The APC lawmakers walked out of the floor of the Senate after their bid to stop the confirmation failed.
Number Advantage
Briefing reporters after Senator Obanikoro was confirmed, the Senate Minority Leader, George Akume, who is a member of the APC, said that the opposition party had objected the nomination of Senator Obanikoro, but lamented that the Senate President and other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate took advantage of their numbers to override the process.
“We objected to the nomination of Senator Obanikoro and yet the Senate President and his colleagues from the PDP decided to take advantage of their numbers to override what was supposed to be basically a very straight forward issue. We wonder whether we want to grow democracy in this country or we want to destroy this democracy.
“I have said his (Senate President) action is a breach. He should have stayed to clear himself. The matter is in court and one of the rules of the Senate is that when a matter is in the court, the Senate cannot deliberate on it,” he said.
“Compromised His Office”
Senator Obanikoro was a former Minister of Defence before he resigned to vie for the governorship candidacy of the PDP in Lagos State. He lost in the primary election.
He is alleged to have planned out a process to rig the Ekiti State governorship election. Senator Obanikoro has denied the allegation.
But the APC Senators still said he had questions to answer in respect to what transpired in the Ekiti State election.
Another Senator and a member of the APC, Chris Ngige, expressed worries over the rush to bring back Senator Obanikoro, who he alleged had compromised his office as a Minister of Defence.
“One wonders what is the rush in trying to bring back a former minister of defence who has been alleged… and clips shown that he compromised his office.
“You oppose card reader, Permanent Voter Cards and everything that will make for a credible election and you want to bring back someone who is alleged to have been tented by all evidence,” he stated.
“Innocent Until Proven Guilty”
Responding to the grouse of the APC Senators, the spokesman for the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said although there were allegations against Senator Obanikoro, there was no court decision, condemning Senator Obanikoro for any crime.
“Well, what we know as a matter of fact is that there were allegations against Senator Musiliu Obanikoro
“But in our law and the Constitution of Nigeria, anything that is a mere allegation, that is not in any way a court decision, is nothing but a mere allegation and every citizen of Nigeria is deem to be innocent until proven guilty.
“And even the Senators, who addressed the press conference and spoke about the qualification and non-qualification of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro are enjoying this privilege because some of them have EFCC cases and they are still in the Senate because of this privilege of being innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Senator Abaribe said that the APC Senator’s statement was an attempt to convict somebody when the person had not been convicted in a court of law.
“They cannot enjoy that privilege themselves and sit in this Senate and then turn around and say that somebody else cannot enjoy that privilege.
“And the laws of Nigeria is very clear. You are innocent until you are proven guilty and that is what played out on the floors of the Senate.
“The senate in its wisdom, having known that this is the law of Nigeria and this is the Constitution of Nigeria, and that every Nigerian is entitled to this privilege, went ahead to do what it is supposed by law to do which is confirmation of somebody that is on the floor of the Senate who has not been convicted of anything,” he stressed.
