The Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of a former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Abayomi Fasina, as a non-career ambassador.

The confirmation followed the presentation and adoption of the report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Sani Bello, which cleared Mr Fasina9 after screening.

Presenting the report, Simon Lalong (APC-Plateau South) said the committee interviewed Mr Fasina, who answered questions satisfactorily regarding his public service experience, qualifications and suitability for the ambassadorial appointment.

Mr Lalong said the committee found the nomination consistent with Section 171(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), requiring senate confirmation before ambassadorial appointments by the president could become legally effective.

He said the committee received petitions opposing and supporting Mr Fasina’s nomination and carefully reviewed every submission before reaching its recommendation after considering available evidence and relevant official reports.

The senator said that allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Fasina at FUOYE were investigated by the university’s Governing Council and the Nigeria Police without substantiation.

He added that the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Police Force also cleared the nominee, while committee members found him articulate and satisfactory during the screening exercise.

The committee, therefore, recommended Mr Fasina’s confirmation, noting that constitutional requirements had been fulfilled and that no official findings disqualified him from serving as Nigeria’s non-career ambassador.

During the debate, Adams Oshiomhole (APC-Edo North) opposed the former vice-chancellor’s immediate confirmation, citing allegations reportedly involving two women and matters he said were pending before competent courts for judicial determination.

Mr Oshiomhole maintained that though Mr Fasina remained innocent until proven guilty, confirming him before judicial resolution could appear insensitive to women raising concerns about the alleged misconduct and accountability questions.

Responding, Mr Lalong said the committee received no court documents or evidence confirming pending legal proceedings involving the nominee during screening, making allegations alone insufficient to deny confirmation.

He argued that the Senate consistently upheld the constitutional principle that every accused person remained innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction before punishment or sanctions.

Also, Cyril Fasuyi (APC-Ekiti North) opposed the nomination, saying the university where Mr Fasina served as vice chancellor was located in his constituency and the allegations were widely discussed within the state.

Mr Fasuyi said the complainant personally narrated her experience to him and urged the Senate to mandate further investigation before taking a final decision on the ambassadorial nomination.

Supporting the confirmation, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) said, “The chairman of the committee stated that all concerns raised about the nominee had been thoroughly addressed. It also received petitions against the nominee, as well as counter-petitions supporting his nomination as ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The committee also established that the allegations against Fasina had been investigated by competent authorities. This includes the University Governing Council and the Nigeria Police Force, both of which found the allegations to be unsubstantiated.”

Mr Ningi, therefore, recommended Mr Fasina’s confirmation as a non-career ambassador.

In his remarks, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio read what he called a relevant portion of the council’s findings.

He quoted the portion as saying, “There were no cases of sexual harassment, thus confirming the earlier investigation by the Nigeria Police Force, which had investigated the matter and found the allegation to be false.

“During the investigation, the complainant stated that she was not sexually harassed. All documents relied upon by the committee, including the police report, audio recordings, transcripts, correspondence involving the vice-chancellor and the complainant, and minutes of management meetings, were attached to the report.”

Mr Akpabio said that he worked strictly with the documents placed before him, insisting, “I cannot rely on hearsay or telephone conversations. The committee itself signed the report clearing the nominee and affirmed his competence, integrity and suitability for the ambassadorial position for which the president nominated him.”

The Senate president urged the senators to remember that they were members of the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the upper chamber of the National Assembly of a nation of nearly 250 million people.

“We must be careful not to import into our deliberations matters that are not supported by evidence before us,” he said.

Born on July 17, 1961, in Lagos, Mr Fasina is described as a distinguished academic, soil scientist and university administrator, with over four decades of teaching, research and public service experience. 

(NAN)

The High Court of Justice in Kogi State has made new clarifications and denied reports claiming that it ordered the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
A statement by the Court’s Chief Information Officer, Saqeeb Saeed, on Thursday, described the allegation as false and misleading.

The Court stressed that it had not handled any case relating to the registration or deregistration of any political party, including the NDC.

According to the court, the viral social media reports linking it to the alleged deregistration did not originate from the Kogi State High Court.

“The High Court of Justice of Kogi State did not handle any matter relating to the registration or deregistration of any political party in the country, and particularly the party in question, nor any other matter concerning the political party,” the statement said.

It equally expressed worry over the use of the photograph of the Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Josiah Joe Majebi, alongside that of former Governor Yahaya Bello in the viral post, saying it appeared to be a deliberate attempt to create the false impression that the alleged decision came from the state’s judiciary.

The Court added that although it would not normally respond to misinformation circulating on social media, the inclusion of the Chief Judge’s photograph made it necessary to issue a clarification to protect the integrity of the judiciary.

It issued a stern warning to content creators and social media users against publishing unverified information capable of misleading the public or undermining confidence in the judicial system.

“The integrity and dignity of judges, as well as the institution of the High Court of Justice of Kogi State and other courts under its supervision, should not be subjected to false and misleading narratives.

“We urge the public to disregard the viral report and reaffirm its commitment to the fair and impartial administration of justice without fear or favour,” the statement partly read.

The clarification came after recent legal developments involving the NDC.

Recall that in June, the Federal High Court in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register the party, ruling that the original case was procedurally defective because interested parties were not joined in the suit.

After the ruling, the NDC maintained that the court did not order its deregistration, emphasising that it had appealed the judgment and filed an application for a stay of execution.

The party also insisted that it remains a legally recognised political party pending the outcome of the appeal.