Buhari’s REC nominee tears Gov Yari, Sen Marafa apart

Kabiru Marafa, the Senator who represents Zamfara Central in the Senate, on Thursday, came down heavily on his State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, following his opposition to the confirmation of a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Ahmed Bello Mahmoud.

Mahmoud was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The nominee’s name was referred to the Senate committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do a further work.

Mahmoud’s nomination was opposed by Yari and a serving Senator from Zamfara State, Tijjani Kaura.

According to Yari, his opposition to his nomination was based on a claim that he did not hail from the state.

According to him, the nominee is from Sokoto State. Senator Kaura on the other hand, claimed that the nominee is from Kebbi and should therefore not be confirmed to represent Zamfara State as a REC.

Governor Yari, it was learnt petitioned the Senate and President Buhari to withdraw the nomination and appoint an indigene of the State to occupy the position.

But making a strong case, Marafa took a swipe at Yari and claimed that the Governor is not originally from Zamfara State. He said like Yari, the nominee’s parents hailed from Sokoto.

Read also: Buhari sends name of 9 REC nominees to Senate

He said Mahmoud was born in Zamfara and had his primary, secondary and university education in the State. He added that the nominee served as Commissioner of Justice in the State and presided over the establishment of Sharia Law.

Marafa pleaded with his colleagues to look beyond the petitions, which he said are baseless, to confirm the nominee.

Marafa said: “Mr. President, in your wisdom I came with a motion for a passionate appeal to my colleagues to do justice for an innocent Nigerian who was nominated to represent Zamfara state in INEC as a resident electoral commissioner.

“You directed the matter back to the committee for further legislative action. I took that wise counsel from you that the committee will do the needful even when I know that there is nothing they can add to what they have done because their report was quite explicit and extensive.

“Order 1 (27) says “in considering the appointment of a nominee, the committee shall not call to witness any person as witness other than the nominee himself. However a there maybe memorandum submitted to committee, if any such memorandum should contain the names of the writer, a verifiable address, a clear and dated signature and it shall be accompanied by an affidavit.”

“It is very clear that the only opposition to this nominee is coming from the Governor of Zamfara State who wrote to the President that the nominee is not from Zamfara State but from Sokoto State.

“My colleague from Zamfara North stood on the floor to say the nominee is from Kebbi State. The committee did a very good job when they said the nominee was born in Gusau, went to school in Anka, he served as the commissioner of Justice in Zamfara for four years.

“The Governor (Yari), wrote a petition. He has a right to write a petition but he cannot violate our order. His petition is not accompanied with an affidavit, therefore his petition is null and void.

“I want to state very clearly the Governor has no right. This is Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are not his (Yari) boys. I am not his boy and this Senate cannot be his rubber stamp.

“We cannot hold somebody’s future because of the interest of one particular man who is equally guilty,” he added.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who presided, said justice will be done to the confirmation. He however insisted that due process must be followed.

“Honestly, I sympathise with you. But as you know, the parliament is a place of procedures no matter how good the course maybe. We must continue to respect procedures because that is the only way the institution will survive. I assure you that justice will be done. It maybe delayed, but it will be done,” he said.

By Ehisuan Odia…

 

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