Drama in Senate as Oshiomhole, Ndume Clash During Reno Omokri’s Ambassadorial Appointment Screening
…Fani-Kayode, Dambazau, Others Cleared.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday approved the nomination of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, for appointment as ambassador.
Also cleared were former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau, former presidential aide and new media adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, former presidential adviser Senator Ita Enang, and former lawmaker Senator Grace Bent.
Others who received the committee’s approval include former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, among several other nominees screened during the session.
The screening exercise was conducted in batches of five nominees each. However, a mild drama unfolded during Omokri’s appearance before the committee.
Senators Mohammed Ali Ndume and Adams Oshiomhole openly disagreed over the procedure for clearing his batch.
After Omokri and others introduced themselves, Ndume moved a motion for the nominees to “take a bow and leave,” signalling immediate clearance.
But Oshiomhole and a few other senators indicated their intention to make comments before the process continued.
Committee Chairman Senator Abubakar Sani Bello recognised Oshiomhole to speak, prompting Ndume to insist that his motion must first be seconded before any further intervention — a position that led to a brief but sharp exchange between the senators.
Despite the disagreement, the nominees in Omokri’s batch were eventually cleared, with the committee concluding its screening of all candidates.
