by James Sambo
Senate members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have communicated their resolve to block the re-appointment of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The opposition party senators stated that their decision was borne out of his alleged indictment in the use of the military to rig the Ekiti governorship election in June 2014.
Spokesperson of the APC Senate Caucus, Babafemi Ojudu, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday, February 19, pointed out that some other senators from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party were also being drawn into the movement to derail Obanikoro’s ratification for appointment.
Ojudu said: “We will do everything possible to stop Obanikoro from being cleared as a minister. Ordinarily, being a former senator he is expected to take a bow and receive automatic clearance but in the present circumstance he has serious issues to clear.”
“In a normal society, he should have been picked by security agents and quizzed over his involvement in the criminal act of using the military to subvert a democratic process.”
“This is a man who used the name of President Goodluck Jonathan to intimidate and harass military officers. He even threatened to determine the fate of the soldier, as the then Minister of State for Defence, if he failed to carry out the alleged rigging plot.”
“It is not only the APC senators that are involved in this struggle; senators from other political parties who are genuine democrats have pledged their loyalty for the noble cause. “
