Ministerial Nominee Screening: Senate confirms petition against El-Rufai

The Nigerian Senate today blocked a petition written  against the nomination of the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, when he appeared for screening at plenary on Tuesday.

El-Rufai had appeared before distinguished senators  and gave a detailed information about his Curriculum Vitae and his struggle for a democratic society, which forced him to go into exile.

As Senators took turns to speak on the nominee, a Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Sunday Karimi, drew the attention of senators and the nominee to a petition against him, which he said, was being submitted in line with the parliamentary rules.’

Karimi said: “Mr Nominee, you did well in your previous offices, and there is no doubt about that, but there is a petition against you.”

He raised an envelope, which he submitted to the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who was presiding at the time El-Rufai was being questioned.

Barau, who felt uncomfortable with the submission of the Kogi lawmaker, faulted the manner in which the petition was submitted to the chamber.

In his intervention,  Senate President,  Godswill Akpabio took over the chair and said: “Distinguished colleagues, perhaps I have to inform all of you that I have received similar petitions from people against other nominees, but this is not where we are to deal with petitions.

“Our job here is to screen, and of course, we can refer petitions to where petitions will be dealt with. They are nominees of Mr President. If there is a formal petition before the Senate, we will look at it formally, but there are certain petitions we have to refer to the Presidency or the security agencies to look at, and that has nothing to do with us.

“By the time we go into confirmation, we will be so advised. So I want my brother to take a bow and go and not bother to explain the petition.”

Earlier, the senator representing Kaduna North senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Khalid Ibrahim Mustapha, lauded El-Rufai for his exceptional leadership qualities, and having spoken well of his performances in office, he urged senators to allow the nominee to take a bow and go.

Similarly, Senator Sani Musa, representing Niger East, in lending his support to the nominee, said: “Everybody here can attest to the credibility of the nominee when it comes to performance on every assignment he has undertaken in parts of this country. He is not different from every other person who has appeared before us.

“There are two other governors that have appeared before us for screening, and there is a convention in chambers like this, and I want to propose that Malam Nasir El-Rufai should take a bow and go.”