The crisis rocking the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Sani-Omolori as the acting clerk to the National Assembly has deepened with seven out of the 12 commissioners of the National Assembly Service Commission faulting it.
The Chairman of National Assembly Service Commission, Dr. Adamu M. Fika, had penultimate Wednesday announced the appointment of Sani-Omolori as acting clerk to the National Assembly.
Sani-Omolori and Mr. Ben Efeturi are angling to succeed, Mr. Salisu Maikasuwa, who is proceeding on pre-retirement leave on May 14, this year.
Hours after the appointment of Sani-Omolori, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, wrote to Fika, demanding the reversal of appointment, saying it violated due process.
Saraki, in a letter by his Chief of Staff, Senator Isa Galaudu said Efeturi who is Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly (DCNA) and who has previously acted as the Clerk of the National Assembly should be the first to be considered.
But in his reply, Fika said the commission took into account the fact that Mr. Efeturi would be proceeding on his retirement leave on August 2, this year, 12 days before the incumbent Clerk will be due to hand over.
He said 11 commissioners of the National Assembly Service Commission were in support of the appointment and that only one voted against it.
However, seven out of the 12 commissioners have dissociated themselves from the emergence of Sani-Omolori, throwing their weight behind Efeturi.
In a letter to Fika tagged, “Re-appointment of Acting Clerk of National Assembly”, the commissioners affirmed that Efeturi was the rightful person to assume the office based on seniority.
The seven commissioners are; Abubakar Garba Rufai, Idi Ningi, Joseph Oru, Dr. Paul Oweh, Elder Stephen Yepwi, Barrister Funmi Lamuye and Abel Chukwu.
They said Dr. Fika went ahead to appoint Sani-Omolori ‘‘despite the divergent views expressed during their last meeting on the issue’’.
“You went ahead and issued a letter appointment to Sani-Omolori right after the meeting, against the commission’s norm of adopting the minutes of the meeting at another meeting before carrying out decisions taken.
“Recall that in November 2014, you unilaterally issued a letter of appointment to the same Sani-Omolori as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly until the members wrote to the Senate President dissociating themselves from your action; 11 out of 12 commissioners signed the letter.
“The commission then met and voted overwhelmingly in favour of the appointment of Efeturi who was then regarded as the most suitable candidate,” they said.
They also noted that at their 403rd meeting, eight commissioners voted in favour of the memo presented by the senior staff committees for the appointment of Efeturi as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, one commissioner abstained and none voted against it.
“By that appointment, the issue of seniority between Efeturi and Sani-Omolori has since been laid to rest. We make bold to say that any letter emanating from you at this time is an individual effort on your part without the consent of the commission and has not followed due process,” the letter reads.
