By Joy Odor
The Senator, representing Akwa Ibom South Federal Constituency in the 10th Senate, Sampson Akpan Ekong has informed that bow and go during the screening of President Bola Tinubu ministerial nominees is a parliamentary procedure but do not translate the nominees confirmations.
The Lawmaker made this known in an interview with journalists on Tuesday shortly after the screening of David Umahi (Ebonyi); Adebayo Olawale Edun (Ogun); Nasir Ahmad El-rufai CON (Kaduna); Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (Katsina) Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji (Enugu); Stella Erhuvwuoghene Okotete (Delta), Mr. Adekola Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo Akwa (Ibom); Barr Hannatu Musawa (Katsina).
Senator Ekong said the nominees are Nigerians who have been tested as a legislature, they are concerned with the good of Nigeria.
“This are Nigerians who have been tested and as legislatures, we are concerned with the good of Nigeria. We have gone through their CVs, their remarks and look at their mindset, and interact with them and at the end of the day and their responses with questions asked are fitting. We will come out with a positions” he noted.
When asked what he thinks about the petitions against the former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-rufai, the Akwa Ibom Lawmaker affirmed that the petitions are allegations and when the time comes, the Senate would deal with it accordingly.
“When you talk about bow and go, is simply reflects a parliamentary procedure. Questions were asked to the nominees which he responded well. Petitions are allegations, when you are asked to bow and go, it do not mean that you will be confirmed as a Minister because the process are still ongoing. As a legislatures, we just have to through the books, we cannot just accept everything, we studied the composure of the nominees, so bow and go do not translate confirmations. Is a language principally” Ekong said.
Kogi Senator presented a petition against Mallam Nasri El-Rufai but other Senators refuse El-Rufai to answer questions but to take bow and go.
Akpabio said the petitions against El-Rufai will be deal with through committee on public petitions as they are only screening, not confirming.
Recall that President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio last week Thursday announced and unveiled the ministerial-nominees list submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Senate finally.
14 out of the 28 first batch of nominees who appeared before Senate for the exercise were made to undergo the ritual of bow-and-go contrary to the promise by the upper legislative chamber that all of them would face thorough screening by the lawmakers.
A total of 14 nominees were screened with eight of them accorded the privilege of bow-and- go tradition.
They are Senator Abubakar Kyari from Borno State, Abubakar Momoh (Edo), Barrister Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Prof. Joseph Utsev (Benue), Senator John Enoh (Cross River), Hon. Bello Muhammad (Sokoto), Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar (Bauchi), Senator Abubakar Danladi (Taraba), Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohaneye (Anambra), Dr. Betta Edu (Cross River), Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa) and Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejiocha from Abia State, respectively.
Ekong Samson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the Akwa Ibom Senatorial South District position in the state, having certified the requirements of the law.
Samson polled 79,327 votes followed by Mr Martyns Udo-Inyang of All Progressive Congress, APC, who scored 33, 256, Mr Ephraim Inyang-Eyen of Young Progressive Party, (YPP), got 19, 336 while Mr Henry Dominic of Labour Party, (LP), scored 17,760 votes.
