Senate in rowdy session as Abaribe rejects Buhari's PENCOM appointment

The Senate was on Tuesday, September 29, thrown into an uproar as minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, kicked against the appointment into the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter directed to the Senate sought the approval of Aisha Umar from the northeast geopolitical region as the new director-general of PENCOM.

The president also wanted the upper chamber to confirm the appointment of Oyindasola Oni as chairman of the commission.

But Abaribe, in a point of order, kicked against the appointment of Umar, saying she came from the northeast in what clearly contradicted the act establishing the PENCOM.

According to the senator, the replacement of Chinelo Anohu-Amazu from the southeast with Umar (northeast) breached the PENCOM laws.

The Senate minority leader insisted that Anohu-Amazu's replacement must come from the southeast as entrenched in the PENCOM act.

He noted that the president is mandated, according to the act, to make a replacement from the geo-political zone where the member who vacated office came from to complete the remaining tenure.

Responding to the Abaribe, Senate president Ahmad Lawan directed the aggrieved lawmaker to channel his grouse to the committee in charge of the commission, saying he (Lawan) has right to interpret the laws.