The Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, re-constitute the board of the Federal Character Commission. According to the lawmakers, any contrary action amounts to a breach of the Act establishing the Commission and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
This was a sequel to the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe. Abaribe while citing Section 3(1) of the Federal Character Act, said that “the Chairman and members of the Commission shall hold office for a period of five years in the first instance and for a further term of five years on such terms and conditions as may be specified in their letters of appointment.”
The lawmaker lamented that though the tenure of the Federal Character Commission had lapsed since 2018, the body was still been run by an Acting Chairman who has become a sole administrator.
Abaribe observed that “no provisions of the Act or the Constitution stipulates the need for the office of a sole administrator or an Acting Chairman.”