Breaking: Senate Drops Two Non-Career Ambassadorial Nominees Over Age, corruption Allegation

The Senate has, during Thursday’s plenary, rejected to confirm two non-career ambassadorial nominees presented for legislative approval by President Muhammadu Buhari over old age and corruption allegations. The rejected nominees are Justice Sylvanus Nsofor from Imo State and Mr Jacob Daodu from Ondo State. 

At the plenary, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu pointed out that, based on the report from the Department of States Services, DSS, the appearance of the nominee from Ondo State is contradictory. He said the DSS report on the Ondo State nominee proves him to be deceitful and to have indulged in corrupt practices as Chairman of a road construction

project.

Also, Senator Akpabio who after commending the Committee on Foreign Affairs which screened the nominees and presented its report at the plenary, urged them to take a second look at the medical report of some of the nominees for non-careers Ambassadors.

However, when the other rejected nominee was asked if he could perform his duty at his old age, his response was “Ask Mugabe if age affects his job.”

Therefore, at the committee of the whole chamber, the Senate resolved to screen 45 out of the 47 Non-Career Ambbassadorial Nominees as the nominees from Imo (Sylvanus Nsofor) and Ondo State (Jacob Daodu) were therefore rejected by the Senators based on the committee’s report.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Jan.12 re-transmitted the nominees’ list to the senate for confirmation after it was first rejected.

The names of the nominees were Dr Uzoma Emenike (Abia), Aminu Iyawa (Adamawa), Maj.-Gen. Godwin Umo (retd) (Akwa Ibom), Christopher Okeke (Anambra), Yusuf Tuggar (Bauchi) and Baba Madugu (Bauchi). Others are Brig.-Gen. Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa), Prof. Steven Ugba (Benue) and Baba Jidda (Borno), Dr Etubom Asuquo (Cross River), Mr Frank Efeduma (Delta), Jonah Odo (Ebonyi) and Uyagwe Igbe (Edo).

Dr Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti), Maj.-Gen. Chris Eze (Enugu), Suleiman Hassan (Gombe), Justice Sylvanus Nsofor (Imo), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), Ahmed Bamali (Kaduna), Deborah Iliya (Kaduna) and Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir (Kano).

Mr Haruna Ungogo (Kano), Justice Isa Dodo (Katsina), Mohammadu Barade (Katsina), Prof. Tijjani Bande (Kebbi), Prof. Y. O. Aliu (Kogi) Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara), Prof. Mohammed Yisa (Kwara), Justice George Oguntade (Lagos) and Modupe Irele (Lagos) are among the nominees.

T

he names also included Musa Muhammad (Nasarawa), Ahmed Ibeto (Niger), Suzanne Folarin (Ogun), Jacob Daodu (Ondo), Afolahan Adeyemi (Osun), Maj.-Gen. Ashimiyu Olaniyi (retd) (Oyo), James Dimka (Plateau) and Dr Haruna Abdullahi (Plateau). Mr Orji Ngofa (Rivers), Sahabi Gada (Sokoto), Kabiru Umar (Sokoto), Hassan Ardo (Taraba), Goni Bura (Yobe), Garba Gajam (Zamfara), Cpt. Bala Mairiga (Zamfara) and Ibrahim Ugbada (FCT).