Senate begins screening of RECs nominees

.Probes alleged massive frauds in Contracts Certification by BPP

Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, began the screening of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) nominees forwarded by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate for confirmation.

This is even as the Red Chamber on Wednesday ordered probe into massive frauds allegedly perpetrated in award and execution of contracts through some omissions by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), since most contracts through the agency, had violated the Public Procurement Act 2007.

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who formally presented the nominees to the Screening Panel on Wednesday, stated that President Buhari ensured due diligence before nominating the candidates.

He appealed to the committee headed by Senator Suleiman Nazif (APC Bauchi North) to fast-track the process, saying some states have not been having RECs for long.

“The states have been vacant for a long time, if this is not addressed urgently, we may have a constitutional crisis on our hands”, he said.

In his opening remarks, chairman of the committee called for collaboration with the nominees, if they are confirmed, to ensure the desired change in INEC.

Nazif added that the Senate is committed to contributing towards free, fair and credible polls that would “reflect the will of the people, and not the will of a few big men.”

The nominee from Abia State, Prof. Godswill Obioma, fielding questions from the committee members, expressed commitment to adhere to the code of conduct and ethics required of a REC.

He added that his relationship with the Governor of the state where he is posted, if confirmed, would be guided by law, without any bias.

“We have to be independent of any partisan relationship, ensure equity, transparency and honesty, adhere to constitutional provisions regarding INEC and its Act,” he said.

Obioma, speaking on the introduction of the card reader in the 2015 general election, said the technology can be improved on, to ensure it remains credible.

Adamawa State nominee, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, suggested that lawmakers should stay in touch with their constituents, and be transparent in their activities, as a way to redeem its negative image in the eyes of the Nigerian public.

He was responding to a question by Senator Ali Wakili (Bauchi South) on how the National Assembly can improve its image.

“Some National Assembly members are not really visiting their constituencies the way it should be. The activities of the members should be more open,” Abdullahi said.

The committee, at the end screened six nominees and adjourned screening till today (Thursday).

Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday ordered probe into massive frauds allegedly perpetrated in award and execution of contracts through some omissions by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), since most contracts through the agency, had violated the Public Procurement Act 2007.

The Senate’s resolve to probe the contract awards involving the BPP came after Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) raised an allegation that effect.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, presided over the session.

Senator Melaye had raised the allegation through a motion, stressing that massive frauds were being perpetrated in contracts award and execution in the country through violation of procurement process aided by BPP.
Melaye said the failure of BPP to raise objections on some contracts considered as questionable had left room for massive fraud in the award process, more so as the agency has from time been issuing certificate of no objection on nearly all contracts it processed.

He alleged that underhand dealings by the BPP on contract awards amounted to abuse of powers it enjoys under the constitution in which case, it endorsed contracts freely without due diligence conducted, just for pecuniary gains.

The Senator alluded to a contract of about N20 million approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which according to him was fraudulently inflated to N200 million and in which case the BPP issued certificate of no objection despite the anomaly.

Most Senators supported the motion, prompting the Senate to mandate its committee on Procurement to carry out thorough investigation and report to the plenary in four weeks.