Presidency Disowns Acting President Osinbajo For Saying That Senate Has No Powers To Confirm Some Nominees

Yesterday,the Presidency has disowned statements reportedly made by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that certain nominees do not need to be confirmed by the Senate.


The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said at no time did the Federal Executive Council take a position or decide on the issue.

The attorney-general and the presidential spokesman separately addressed State House correspondents after Wednesday’s FEC meeting which was presided over by Osinbajo.

The Senate had on Tuesday resolved to stop all confirmation hearings for nominees forwarded by Osinbajo until the question over its power to confirm appointees is resolved.

It had in April suspended the confirmation of President Buhari’s nominees for Resident Electoral Commissioners over his refusal to remove the acting chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Magu whose nomination it had twice rejected following a damning report by the Department of State Security Service.

Malami said:

 “The fundamental consideration about the alleged statement (by Osinnajo) is the fact that at no point ever did the Federal Executive Council sit down to arrive at the decision in one way or the other as far as the issue of nomination or otherwise is concerned. .
So, I do not think it constitutes an issue for the Federal Executive Council to make any clarification about because it has never been considered by the FEC."