SENATE IGNORES PETITIONS, CONFIRMS ALL INEC RECs NOMINATEES

A group of civil society organisations had faulted the nomination of five of the new RECs for allegedly being partisan and of questionable past.

The Senate has confirmed all the 19 nominees appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The nominees were confirmed despite petitions against some of the nominees accusing them of being partisan and card-carrying members of the party.

They were, however, confirmed on Wednesday after the Senate said there was no concrete evidence or sworn affidavit to support the allegations levelled against some of them.

The nominees were confirmed after the Senate considered the report of its Committee on INEC.

The president in July, wrote to the Senate nominating the 19 RECs. He also sought the upper chamber’s confirmation of the nominees.

Of the 19 nominees, five were reappointed for a second and final term of five years while 14 others had new appointments.

The five nominees reappointed are Ibrahim Abdullahi (Adamawa); Obo Effanga (Cross River); Umar Ibrahim (Taraba); Agboke Olaleke (Ogun); and Samuel Egwu (Kogi).

The others are Onyeka Ugochi (Imo); Muhammad Bashir (Sokoto); Ayobami Salami (Oyo); Zango Abdu (Katsina); Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi); and Agundu Tersoo (Benue).

Others are: Yomere Oritsemlebi (Delta); Yahaya Ibrahim (Kaduna); Nura Ali (Kano); Agu Uchenna (Enugu); Ahmed Garki (FCT); and Hudu Yunusa (Bauchi);