Senate President Akpabio Halts Ex-Governor El-Rufai from Addressing ‘Strong Petition’ on Kaduna Insecurity during Ministerial Screening
On Tuesday, during the ministerial screening exercise at the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio intervened to prevent the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, from addressing a “strong petition” leveled against him.
El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna governor from May 2015 to May 2023, was among the 28-man ministerial nominees selected by President Bola Tinubu.
El-Rufai, like other nominees, was present in the red chamber for confirmation on Tuesday. Upon entering the hallowed chambers, he shared his resume with the lawmakers, mentioning that it was his second time being screened and confirmed as the Federal Capital Territory minister twenty years ago.
During the session, Senator Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara West Senatorial District asked El-Rufai about his plans for improving Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution if he were to become the power minister.
However, Senator Ibrahim Khalid from Kaduna North Senatorial District urged his colleagues to allow El-Rufai to take a bow without further questioning, citing the precedent set with ex-Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) during their ministerial screenings.
The situation took a dramatic turn when Senator Karimi Sunday from Kogi West Senatorial District took the floor and presented a “very strong petition” against El-Rufai. The petition raised concerns about insecurity, unity, and national cohesion within the Nigerian nation, urging that it be considered in the screening exercise.
Sunday praised El-Rufai’s performance as Kaduna governor and FCT minister but insisted that the petition’s contents must be taken into account during the confirmation process.
However, the statement did not sit well with most of the lawmakers, and Senator Muhammad Sani from Niger East Senatorial District urged his colleagues to allow El-Rufai to “take a bow and go” as done for other ex-governors.
In response to Yari’s question about electricity and power sector changes, El-Rufai mentioned that amendments to the Electricity Act 2023 and the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 might be necessary for desired improvements.
El-Rufai later requested to address the petition against him, stating, “Distinguished Senate President, I would like to say one or two words before I leave. The distinguished Senator from Kogi talked about a petition against me.”
Amidst loud resistance from the Senators regarding the petition’s subject, Senate President Akpabio intervened, explaining that the Senate’s role was to screen nominees and not deal with petitions directly. He clarified that formal petitions should be referred to the Presidency or security agencies for further action.
Akpabio emphasized that the nominees were those of President Bola Tinubu, and any formal petitions would be examined appropriately. He requested El-Rufai to take a bow without addressing the petition, and the former Kaduna governor complied, leaving the red chambers.
Kaduna State has been severely affected by killings and kidnappings over the last four years. Official data from El-Rufai’s tenure as governor showed that in 2021, bandits, terrorists, and armed men killed 1,192 residents and kidnapped over 3,000 innocent individuals. In 2022, the state confirmed 1,052 deaths, 4,227 abductions, and 648 injuries.
Southern Kaduna, in particular, has been a hotspot for attacks, including a terrorist attack on a moving passenger AK9 train on March 28, 2022, and an insurgent attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on August 24, 2021.
The screening exercise continues with other ministerial nominees as the nation awaits the final confirmation of the selected candidates by the Senate.