Again, Senate defers Obanikoro’s screening over Ekitigate

Hopes of a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to be screened and confirmed as a Minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria were on Wednesday dashed as the Senate deferred the screening till next week Tuesday.
The reason adduced for this was his alleged involvement in the leaked audio tape of Ekiti State governorship election.
Obanikoro; the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose; the Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Awosiyan, and others were overheard on the tape discussing how to rig the election.
Immediately the Senate resumed on Wednesday, the lawmakers went into a closed doors session.
This lasted for about one and a half hours.
It was to decide on whether to confirm or not to confirm Obanikoro as Minister and also its implication on the image of the Senate.
A source close to meeting informed The Eagle Online that during the closed doors session, the issue of the Ekiti State leaked rigging audio tape was extensively debated between senators of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress.
According to source, most of the APC senators at the meeting argued that it will not be proper for the Senate not to ask Obanikoro questions on the issue of the Ekiti State leaked tape if he is going to be screened.
It could be recalled that the Senate had last week rescheduled the ministerial screening listed in its Notice paper.
Four ministerial nominees were however screened by the Senate before adjournment of sitting on Wednesday till Tuesday.
Those screened were the National Vice Chairman of the PDP for the South East, Colonel Augustine Okwudiri Akobundu, Nicholas Akise Ada, Patricia Akwashiki and Fidelis Nwankwo.
Also there is another petition before the Senate President, Senator David Mark, by the Nigerians United To Save Democracy.
The group in the petition against Obanikoro said: “He has recently been exposed – as Defence Minister, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro commandeered soldiers sent to Ekiti State to provide security for electorate, INEC officials and materials in the 2014 governorship election in the state to assist in rigging that election in favour of his party’s candidate, Ayo Fayose.
“The same tactics was employed in Osun election in August 2014, evidence of this can be found in the court processes filed at the election tribunal. Senator Obanikoro achieved this by clampdown on opposition party members and officials by soldiers on his orders in conspiracy with his PDP members, notably Ayo Fayose, Chris Uba, Senator Iyiola Omisore, one Brigadier Momoh, and others.”