EXCLUSIVE: APC crisis mars Senate’s screening of ambassadorial nominees

Crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) reared in its ugly head in the Senate Wednesday during the screening of ambassadorial nominees by its Committee on Foreign Affairs.

At the commencement of screening exercise for the 41 non-career and one career  ambassadorial nominees across the various states of the federation , the nominee from Edo state, Barrister Yamah Mohammed Musa, ran into trouble waters with the committee members when asked by the Chairman, Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa (APC Bauchi North), to explain his contribution to  the state APC .

The nominee who hails from Esako West local government of Edo state, stirred the hornet nest when in his response, he told the committee members that not only did he ensure total victory for candidates of APC in the area during the 2019 general elections, but did justice to national assignments given him at the time by the party’s national leadership.

“I was in the forefront of party members who conducted primary elections for all our House of Representatives candidates in the South West, one of whom is the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.

“I also led the committee that conducted the APC primaries in Akwa Ibom aside from other national assignments which contributed to the success of the party at the polls “, he said.

 Angered by the submission, a member of the committee, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (APC Ogun Central), immediately took the nominee up by telling him that what he described as achievement was a sham.

 “I am from the South-west and I know all that took place during the so-called primaries perpetrated by your committee and those who assigned you then.

 “Please, such exercise is not something you should be referring to as achievement because as party members, we knew what happened then and those behind it.

 “We don’t   want you to carry this type of mindset to foreign post if eventually confirmed, so the earlier you erase such unbecoming assignments as personal achievements, the better”, he said.

Hitting the nominee harder over the same remarks, another member of the committee, Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC Imo West), shouted at the nominee to sit properly and warned him not to make such submissions anywhere again as achievements.

 “You are here to be screened and possibly confirmed as an ambassador to represent Nigeria anywhere you are later posted by the President and reminding us of the worst primaries elections ever conducted by a political party in Nigeria under a man that had been sent away now .

 “Hope you are not being rewarded for the sham you called primaries and injustice done against loyal party members. Don’t ever mention that again or remind people of such stage- managed assignments be it in Nigeria or wherever you are posted to, or else, I will move against your nomination “, he threatened.

 The committee chairman however came to the rescue of the nominee who was already sweating, by appealing to his members to allow him take a bow and go.

 Barrister Musa, who hurriedly left the venue of the screening exercise ( Room 211) when told to take a bow and go , felt discomforted with the development by asking journalists to leave the National Assembly Complex as against joining his  other colleagues lodged in Senator Bulkachuwa’s office .

 Aside the embattled Edo nominee, the committee also carried out the screening exercise on Ademola Seriki from Lagos, Engineer Umar Suleiman from Adamawa, Major-General C.O Ugwu from Enugu, and Mr. Kelvin Peter Adamu from Adamawa etc.