The Nigerian Senate has frowned against the act of resuming duty before confirmation which has become a norm for President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees.

The Upper Chamber resolved to unconfirm any nominee guilty of this act, henceforth.

This followed a point of order raised by Senator Dino Melaye who represents Kogi West, who revealed that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has mandated the resumption of the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Anthony Ojukwu, to resume office without confirmation from the Senate.

News Express recalls that in July 2017, the red chamber resolved to cease further confirmations of Buhari’s nominees due to a remark credited to the Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, questioning the non-approval of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

This resolution has since affected the confirmation of about 50 nominees of the President.

However, contrary to the upper legislative chamber’s posture, Mr. Malami reportedly gave the go ahead for Mr. Ojukwu to commence his duties without confirmation from the Senate.

Reacting to this on Wednesday, Melaye said: “Mr. President there has been [a] rumour going round in the last two weeks that the Attorney General of the Federation has affronted and confronted the powers of Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. While I was doing my private investigation on this matter, I found out that it is true. My position was further reinforced by the publication on ThisDay newspaper of 27th of February 2018. The caption reads: ‘AGF dares Senate, asks Ojukwu to resume office as the Executive Secretary NHRC’ without confirmation.

“If the Attorney General of the Federation who is supposed to be the custodian of our laws and chief law enforcer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will flagrantly ask an individual who has not been confirmed by the Senate, to go and resume and has since resumed, and has started working and not practicing democracy, then we have no regard for the rule of law.”

Responding to Melaye, Saraki mandated the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary to investigate the matter and directed the leader to meet up with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

He said: “This matter, we have talked about it sometime last year. I thought this matter has been laid to rest because we are very clear on this decision that once you have not been confirmed, you cannot go ahead and resume.”

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