The All Progressives Congress Senators on Wednesday condemned the confirmation of Musiliu Obanikoro’s ministerial position.
The senate APC leader, George Akume, at a press conference after the APC senators staged a walk out, expressed his disappointment at the result stating that Obanikoro’s issue was clearly overruled.
“The Senate President has decided to override the members of the senate. When a matter is in court, the senate should not deliberated on it.
“If in the past, the Senate refused to confirm some Senators due to different objections, then why is Obanikoro different. We want Nigerians to take note that the country is being deceived by the Senate,” he said.
Magnus Abe, representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, said the confirmation of Obanikoro was a breach of the Nigerian constitution, explaining that the main reason for their opposition was because they believe Obanikoro breached his oath of office.
Olubunmi Adetumbi, representing Ekiti State Senatorial District, said the confirmation was clearly on partisan basis, which is not in the best interest of Nigerians.
But the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Enyinnaya Abaribe, dismissed Musiliu Obanikoro’s involvement of the leaked Ekiti rigging tape as a mere allegation.
“There are allegations against Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, but in our law and the constitution of Nigeria, anything that is a mere allegation that is not a court decision is nothing but a mere allegation.
“The laws of Nigeria is very clear; you are innocent until proven guilty, so that is what played out on the floor of the Senate.
“The Senators who addressed the press conference and spoke otherwise of Senator Obanikoro are enjoying a privilege.
“This is because some of them have EFCC cases, and they are still in the senate because of this privilege of being innocent until proven guilty. So they cannot go to a press conference, and try to convict somebody when the person has not been convicted by a court of law.
“The Senate is not a court of law and even when the Senate conducts its own investigation, it passes it to the appropriate body for prosecution.
When asked about the APC lawmakers staging a walk out, Abaribe said, “If within the time of any day’s business a Senator decides that he has some other place to go, we cannot stop them”.
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