Senate denies collecting $10m to block confirmation of NERC chairman

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

The Senate has dismissed as false and malicious the allegation that its leadership received a $10 million bribe to stall the confirmation of Mr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

In a statement issued late Friday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the upper chamber suspended Ramat’s screening and confirmation due to what he described as “a baggage of public and private complaints” against the nominee.

The clarification came after a former Special Adviser to ex–Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Alwan Hassan, accused the 10th Senate leadership of collecting a $10 million bribe to block Ramat’s appointment.

Adaramodu, however, denied the allegation, describing Hassan as “a hand-tool” of the NERC nominee and warning that the Senate would take legal action to compel him to prove his claims.

“The attention of the Senate has been drawn to the uncoordinated cacophony of one innocuous Alwan Hassan, who is a hand-tool to one Mr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat,” the statement read.

“Refreshing the memories of Nigerians, Mr. Ramat is the yet, but hard-to-be-confirmed chief executive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission.

Mr Alwan has ludicrously alleged that the Senate was compromised by yet-to-be-disclosed ghosts to reject the nomination and confirmation of Mr Ramat.”

The Senate spokesperson maintained that the decision to halt the process followed due legislative procedure, emphasising that Ramat’s case was not an exception.

“The Senate is bound statutorily to halt actions on him or on whoever is under such public questioning. Many nominees have been stepped down due to such public outcry. The case of Mr Ramat is not an exemption,” Adaramodu said.