APC senators ignore party directive, screen service chiefs

 
Seven  members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate on Monday  dared the leadership of their  party by participating  in the screening of the Chief of Defence Staff  and  service chiefs recently appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
 
The  APC had  last week directed  its members in the National Assembly to block the passage of all legislative bills, including the  2014 budget, and the screening of ministerial nominees as well as the CDS  and  the new service chiefs.
 
But Senators Akin Odunsi, Kabiru Marafa, Sani Saleh, Atai Aidoko,  Babafemi Ojudu, Jubrilla Bindo,  and Ajayi Boroffice,  were among other senators who participated actively in the joint committees of Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force to screen the new military chiefs  in Abuja.
 
The Chairman of the joint committee, Senator George Sekibo, observed that the screening was the first to be carried out by the Senate since the return of Nigeria to civil rule.
 
He said such had not been done despite the fact that Sections 217 to 219 of the 1999 Constitution as
amended made provision for it.

Sekibo also said past administrations in the country had not been sending the names of service chiefs for confirmation despite the fact that the National Assembly enacted the Armed Forces Act 2004.
This Act makes it mandatory for federal lawmakers to confirm the appointment of service chiefs.
Sekibo said, “The screening exercise today(Monday) therefore is in fulfillment of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Armed Forces Act 2004 (Cap A.20 ). This exercise we are performing   will satisfy the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Act and completely put our Armed Forces under our democratic norms.”
 
Sekibo noted that  Nigeria  was currently undergoing some major security challenges including the Boko Haram  insurgency in the North- East, oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the South-South  and kidnapping  in the South-East.
 
Sekibo  added that the committee members  would screen the competence of the military officers in strategic military operations.
 
The screening which lasted several hours, was done behind closed doors. The joint committee has one week to submit  its report.
 
When contacted, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party’s  directive to its members was not for them to boycott the screening of President Jonathan’s appointees.
 
He said “People don’t seem to understand our directive it is not for them to boycott but to frustrate the process if the right things are not done. If they don’t attend how will our voice be heard?”
 

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