Senate Screening: Lawmakers shielded El-Rufai from responding to petition on his ‘divisive politics’

Some lawmakers put up a strong argument why Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, should not answer questions about a petition alleging he was a divisive figure whose appointment as minister could jeopardize the unity of the country.

The lawmakers who defended El-Rufai, were mainly from the North. Their argument was that other ex-governors were simply asked to ‘bow and go.’ They demanded the same privilege be extended to El-Rufai.

Sunday Karimi, a senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Kogi State, under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was the lawmaker who told the Senate of a petition against the former Kaduna State Governor.

Although the content of the petition was not read out, Karimi said that it touched on the unity and harmony of Nigeria.

Sealed in a brown envelope, the senator presented the petition to Barau Jibrin, Senate Deputy President, who was presiding over the screening in the absence of Senator Godswill Akpabio.

For some minutes, El-Rufai responded to the energy-related questions by Senator Abdulaziz Yari, following which he took the permission of the senators to speak to the petition.

As he was about to start his response, an official of the senate standing by each nominee switched off his mic. Akpabio, the Senate President, who had just returned to the hall, then prevented him from uttering a word.

The Senate President said that there had been petitions against some other nominees before El-Rufai. He added that the Senate was not ready to look into them because they were the president’s nominees. He said all petitions against nominees would be forwarded to the executive branch for necessary actions.

Thereafter, El-Rufai took a bow and left.