David Mark defends Obanikoro’s ministerial confirmation, says due process was followed

Senate President David Mark has defended last Wednesday’s
confirmation of Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro as a minister amidst protest from
APC lawmakers. According to the Senate president, due process was
followed during Obanikoro’s confirmation and the reasons put forward by
those against his confirmation were mere accusations. Davido Mark gave
this explanation in a statement released by his media aide Kola
Ologbondiyan, yesterday March 16th. Read that…

The statement reads in part;

“The President of the Senate, Senator
David Mark, will not trample on the rules to satisfy the yearnings of
any interest, no matter how vociferous and violent. We will like to
state without any form of ambiguity that the President of the Senate
complied with all the legislative practices and procedures in the
confirmation of all the ministerial nominees that appeared before the
Senate. It is important to state that the Senate found herself in a
situation where two of its traditions were in conflict.

There exists a tradition of permitting
nominees that had served as Senators or member of the House of
Representatives of the Federal Republic to take a bow and go without
being questioned. The Senate also has a tradition of stopping any
nominee that fails to secure at least two of the three Senators. Where
the Senate was faced with this conflict, the option available to the
President of the Senate, as the presiding officer was to put the
question to the floor and rule applicably.

The President of the Senate, Senator David
Mark, did just that. He put the question through voice vote, and ayes
won resoundingly and he so ruled. On the issue of courts, Rules 53 (5)
of the Senate Standing Rules did state; ‘if in the opinion of the
President of the Senate, the matter will be subjudice.’ Senator Mark
made it clear that he has not been served any court order neither has he
received any injunction restraining him from processing the
confirmation of the ministerial nominees. Besides, it is a known fact
that an accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court
of competent jurisdiction. The processes and decisions reached on the
screening and confirmation of the ministerial nominees were in line with
the rules guiding the activities of the Senate”

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