The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare has said the Presidency would not lobby the Senate to confirm the immediate past ex-Service Chiefs as non-career ambassadors.
Omoworare was reacting to ripples making round in public domain over the nomination of ex-Service Chiefs in less than two weeks of their leaving office.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday last week forwarded names of the ex-Service team to the Senate to be confirmed as non-career ambassadors.
The development has kept political analysts and other Nigerians wondering the reasons for the haste with which they were nominated.
DAILY POST earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter of request to the National Assembly said: “In accordance with section 171 (1), (2) (c) and sub-section (4) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I have the honour to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the under-listed five (5) names of nominees as Non-Career Ambassadors-Designate.”
However, Omoworare who is a former Senator acknowledged the bashing from various quarters but noted that the presidency was not losing sleep over the nominees.
According to him, lobbying between the executive and legislature was normal world over, “but in this case, he wasn’t seeing the executive lobbying anyone for anything.”
He said: “I think if anybody says there is any lobbying going on as regards nominations of former service chiefs for Ambassadorial appointments by Mr President, I am not aware.
“But if there is lobbying going on for them to pass through the confirmation process, I sincerely think it is in order, it is not an aberration, it’s not a transgression, it’s not a sin for lobbying to occur.
“Having been service chiefs before, should they be nominated as ambassadors especially because the Senate and House of Representatives have not been on the same page with them, it is normal.
“That does not mean they can not be successful ambassadors. It is for the senators to determine whether looking at their profiles, their Curriculum Vitae and their credentials if they can be good representatives for Nigeria.
“For them to even be service chiefs it means they have attained some heights because being service chief is being at the pinnacle of their career which is an achievement”.
He added that as cordial as the relationship between the 9th Senate and the Presidency is, some requests for confirmation have been rejected without causing any ill-feeling between them.
