The decision of the President Muhammadu Buhari to seek the Senate’s approval for the appointment of Aisha Umar, as the Director-General of the National Pension Commission, PENCOM, has caused a division among the senators.
Some senators, on Tuesday, strongly protested the nomination as soon as the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, read Buhari’s letter, seeking Umar’s confirmation as the substantive DG of the agency. The letter also named Oyindasola Oni as Chairman of the agency.
Others nominated as Commissioners are Hannatu Musa (North West); Clement Oyedele Akintola (South West); Ayim C. Nyerere (South East); and Charles Efe Sylvester Emukowhale (South-South)
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved senators, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, declared that Umar, from the North-East, should not have replaced the former DG, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, who is from the South-East. Abaribe said Buhari’s action was a flagrant breach of the Act that established PENCOM.
Section 20(1) and section 21(1) and (2) of the National Pension Commission Act 2014, states, “in the event of a vacancy, the President shall appoint a replacement from the geopolitical zone of the immediate past member that vacated office to complete the remaining tenure.”
Abaribe argued that Anohu-Amazu successor should come from the South-East. He said, “I recall that the tenure of the incumbent was truncated therefore the new letter from the president that has now moved the Chairman of the Commission to another zone may not be correct.
“It is against the law setting up the National Pension Commission and the Federal Character Commission. Before you (Lawan) send it to the appropriate committee tomorrow, (Wednesday), I wish to draw the attention of the committee to it.”
The Senate President meanwhile rejected Abaribe’s point of order and observation, saying: “That is for me to interpret because I interpret the laws here. If there is any petition to that effect it should be sent to the committee.”
