President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Alhaji Bako Abdullahi, as acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC),until the appointment of a substantive Chairman. The appointment was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.
Abdullahi, the most senior serving Commissioner in the ICPC, replaces former acting Chairman, Dr. Rose Abang-Wushishi, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), whose four-year tenure expired on July 22. Jonathan had on Thursday forwarded the names of five members of ICPC to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The names of the nominees were forwarded in a letter to the Senate dated July 27 and read on the floor at Thursday’s plenary.
The five ICPC nominees are Alhaji Abdullahi Ado Bayero (North-west), Alhaji Isa Ozi Salami (North-central), Ekpo Una Owo Nta (South-south), Professor Olu Aina (South-west) and Dame Julie Onum-Nwariaku (South-east). They are to fill the existing vacancies in the commission in accordance with Section 3 (3) of the ICPC Act, which requires that in addition to the Chairman, the commission shall consist of 12 members made up of two representatives from each of the six geo-political zones of the country. The ICPC nominees were referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for screening.