SEE WHY Senate rejects Buhari’s 46 Ambassadorial nominees, returns list

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke ABUJA- THE Senate, Tuesday, rejected the names of 46 non career ambassadorial nominees sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Senate which sent the list back to President Buhari, said it was for resubmission and re-jigging.According to the Senate, it became imperative to reject the 46 Ambassadorial nominees which include former Deputy Minority leader of the Senate and Immediate past Deputy Director- General, Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora; Yussuf Tuggar, former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice George Adesola Oguntade, among others because of the over 250 petitions received from Nigerians against their nomination for screening and subsequent approval. Meanwhile, the Senate today, approved the confirmation of 47 career ambassadorial nominees sent to it by President Buhari in July this year as ambassadors designates. Senate's action was sequel to a 51- page report of the Screening of 47 Career Ambassadorial Nominees by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, APC, Oyo Central. Presenting her report, Senator who noted that the imbalance of nominations observed in the list of career nominees was not corrected by President Buhari in the non –career list, stressed that over 250 petitions were received by the committee from aggrieved Nigerians over the imbalance of nominations in the first list where states like Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Plateau had no nominee without being addressed by the second list containing names of non–career nominees. The Senate Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs who requested that his colleagues should approve the committee's recommendation that the nominations be referred back to the president to address the concerns of the petitioners, said, "We thought that the issue of non equitable representation across the 36 states of the federation raised on the list of nominated career diplomats by the President will be addressed in that of non career, but unfortunately, this was not so, inspite of public outcry over it and the committee's observation to that effect to the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal during an interface with us before the screening . "Therefore, we find it difficult to start the screening of the 46 non-career nominees since last month and in fact, proposing to this Senate that the list be returned to the Executive for needed review and re-presentation." The recommendation of the Committee that the 47 – non ambassadorial nominees be rejected because of the mirage of petitions was however taken through voice votes by the senators upon a motion moved to that effect by the Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume. When Senate President Senator Bukola Saraki put the question to voice vote, it was unanimously taken by the Senators. It would be recalled that two out of the prominent politicians on the list, former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Usman Bugaje and former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Mrs Paullen Tallen, had earlier rejected their nominations, just as there have been protests and complaints by prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts including state governors and other relevant stakeholders against the manner in which the President makes political appointments.