The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Kabir Garba Marafa, has urged the Senate to rescind its decision on the nomination of Mr. Ahmad Bello Mahmud as the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It could be recalled that, the Senate, at its plenary on Thursday, 23rd November, 2017, rejected the nomination of Mr. Mahmud as REC representing Zamfara state.
The decision of the Senate was predicated on the report of the Senator Nazif led Committee on INEC, which recommended that Mahmud be disqualified, being that his nomination did not enjoy the support of the stakeholders from Zamfara state.
Senator Marafa, who is currently representing Zamfara Central, the immediate constituency of Mr. Mahmud, had vehemently rejected the report of the Committee, but the Senate went ahead to disqualify the nominee.
Marafa therefore brought a motion on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, asking that the earlier decision be rescinded and Mr. Mahmud be confirmed as minds REC.
“As a serving Senator as well as the Senator representing the nominee and therefore, a critical stakeholder from Zamfara state, I was at no point in time ever consulted on the confirmation of the said nominee.
“The methodology adopted by the Committee as contained in item 3.0 on page 3 of the report made no reference whatsoever to indigenship as a basis for consideration and for clearing any nominee.
“The assertion by the Senator representing Zamfara North Senatorial District that, the nominee is from Kebbi state and not from Zamfara state is therefore false”, Marafa told his colleagues.
He said, aside been born in Zamfara state, the nominee also attended both his elementary and secondary education in the state.
Marafa also clarified that Mr. Mahmud was a onetime Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Zamfara, as well as Chairman, Zamfara state Anti Corruption Commission, amongst others.
In his ruling, the President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, referred the nominee back to the committee on INEC, urging it to look at the nomination with merit, and report back to the Senate within one week.
