Saraki: 227 of Buhari’s 240 Nominees Confirmed So Far

• Says only 13 rejected in two years

  Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has disclosed that 227 of the 240 nominations sent to the eighth Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari have been confirmed by the upper legislative chamber.

He said this yesterday after the senators voted to confirm the nomination of Hon. Ibrahim Rufai Imam as the Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Federal Capital Territory.

“Let me on behalf of the Senate congratulate the new Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Hon. Ibrahim Rufai Imam, and wish him a successful tenure. I hope that he continues to play his role in the judiciary.”

“So far, we have treated about 240 confirmations here in the Senate, of which 227 have been affirmative and only 13 have been negative. Sometimes, we get the impression that this Senate tends to say more ‘No’ than ‘Yes.’ But these numbers today show the level of cooperation that we will continue to give the executive,” the senate president added.

The Senate and the executive are currently in cold war over several pending nominations which the lawmakers have refused to consider, including that of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), members of the Monetary Policy Committee and Code of Conduct Bureau, Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission among several others.

The impasse was as a result of President Buhari’s inaction on the Senate’s non confirmation of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who was twice rejected by the upper legislative chamber.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had said the EFCC was not listed in the constitution, and that the nomination should not have been sent to the Senate in the first instance.

The Senate therefore resolved to suspend confirmation process of the nominees whose agencies are not listed in the constitution, pending the legal clarification, of Osinbajo’s comment.