TheCable

The senate has confirmed seven nominees for the position of resident electoral commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They were confirmed on Wednesday after the senate considered a report of the committee on INEC.

Presenting the report, Suleiman Nazif, chairman of the committee, said of the nine nominees referred to its committee for screening, only eight showed up.

Nazif said Eric Olawale, the nominee for Osun state, did not communicate to the committee the reason for his absence.

He said Monday Udo Tom, the nominee for Akwa Ibom state, was stood down for “further legislative action”.

“The [seven] nominees were duly cleared by the relevant security agencies; the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB),” he said.

“However, the nominee from Akwa Ibom state was stood down for further legislative consultation.”

THE CONFIRMED NOMINEES

• Baba Abba Yusuf, Borno state
• Lukman Abdulrahman Ajidaba, Kwara state
• Segun Agbaje, Ekiti state
• Cyril Omorogbe, Edo state
• Yahaya Bello, Nasarawa state
• Emmanuel Alex, Rivers state
• Mohammed Magaji Ibrahim, Gombe state

The senate had suspended screening of nominees of the executive based on the decision of the Buhari administration to retain Ibrahim Magu as head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) despite its opposition.