The Senate of the federal republic of Nigeria, Wednesday stood down the nomination of Olalekan Raheem as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while confirming those of Umar Gajiram and Aialiibo Johnson.
This confirmation was part of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on INEC which screened the nominees after President Muhammadu Buhari sought the Senate’s approval for their confirmation sometime in October 2019.
Report varriously sourced say the Senate committee had come to the know that one of the nominees, Mr Raheem Olalekan is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Olalekan had told the committee that he was a member of the APC and had contested for local government chairmanship in Osogbo, Osun State.
“I am a member of APC and I contested for the chairmanship of Osogbo local government in 2013. In 2015, I moved on to go and study Psychology in University of Ibadan. I had the card then when I had the intention of contesting.
“I was a DG of a contestant in 2017. I was part of the campaign. I am no longer a card-carrying member since I left to go back to school. I have not been attending political function again,” he explained.
Mr Raheem Olalekan was repotrted to have posited in a separate statement, that he is no longer a member of the ruling party,but wondered if there was any law that says he cannot support a candidate of his choice.
The chairman of the committee, Kabiru Gaya, who presented the report, recommended that the two other nominees be confirmed having met the requirements.
Gaya however asked that the Senate stand down the confirmation of Mr Raheem Olalekan for further investigation. This, he said, is because a petition had been written against him accusing him of being a card-carrying member of the APC.
Mr Gaya said the petitioner was, however, not available to provide evidence against the nominee.
Prior to the voice vote, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, urged the Senate to go ahead and confirm the nominee because the petitioner could not produce evidence.
He said it is unfair to defer his appointment on such note.
In a counter-argument, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, reminded the Senate that the nominee had admitted to being a member of the party already.
That alone, he said, is enough to disqualify him.
The lawmaker then urged his colleagues to adopt the recommendations of the committee for further investigation or for the nominee to be replaced.
“From the recommendations, the committee were being tactful – which is another way of saying another nominee should be sent. There are a lot of people in Osun State… I suggest we adopt the recommendations of the committee,” Senator Abaribe said.
After a voice vote, the lawmakers confirmed Messrs Gajiram and Johnson while standing down the confirmation of Mr Raheem for further investigation.
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