Ekweremadu, other southeast senators ignite tribal war in Senate over Lemo’s appointment as head of FERMA

The Senate was in an uproar for about 30 minutes after Senate President Bukola Saraki read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari on legislative confirmation of appointments of CBN ex-Dep. Gov Tunde Lemo, and others into the board of the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Deputy Sen. President Ike Ekweremadu raised a point or order to protest against lopsidedness of the appointment of heads departments, agemcy and parastatals.
He insusted the recent appointments by Buhari and for which he had sought legislative approval showed that the nominees were from particular parts of the country.

Majority Leader Ahmad Lawan, however, argued that the appointments were balanced.
Saraki then ruled out that the Senate would not act on sentiments and opinion–that the Committee on Federal Character would investigate the appointments, and present a report to the chamber on Tuesday.

Three other lawmakers from the South-East equally raised points of order to ask the chamber to suspend further consideration and screening of nominees pending the presentation and adoption of the report by the Committee on Federal Character.

Other who protested were senators Chukwuka Utazi, Mao Ohuabunwa and Obinna Ogba‎.

But the Senate president said that only the report by the committee would determine if Ekweremadu and others were right or wrong, and if the Senate would continue to act on Buhari’s requests for confirmation of appointments.