The Senate last night concluded the screening of Mr Festus Keyamo after a break.
The Senate rose briefly after a seemingly rowdy session. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio rushed to the Presidential Villa minutes after the rowdy session apparently to consult with President Bola Tinubu.
Earlier, the Senate exploded into a rowdy session when a Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha moved a motion for the suspension of Keyamo’s ministerial screening.
A visibly agitated Nwokocha accused Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th National Assembly and accusing the last Assembly of being corrupt.
Nwokocha said during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Keyamo was invited to explain a Special Public Works programme but he didn’t honour the invitation.
Nwokocha’s motion was immediately seconded by his colleague from Abia-South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
The Senate President subsequently subjected the motion to a voice vote but the lawmakers were divided on the matter.
The red chamber immediately erupted into a rowdy session. Amid heated argument between the lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele moved for a closed-door session and Akpabio sustained the move.
When the Senate resumed after 5pm, Keyamo apologised for his previous infractions and what the Senate considered as unfriendly conduct. A motion was moved by Senator Ali Ndume to accept the apology. The Senators accepted the apology without opposition. Keyamo was asked to bow and leave the Senate at 5.39pm.
Keyamo was a former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity under the then administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Keyamo, from Delta State, was the last nominee out of President Bola Tinubu’s 48-man ministerial list to appear before the Senate. He appeared before the red chamber on Monday afternoon after another nominee, Mariya Mahmoud, a former Commissioner for Higher Education in Kano State.
Initially, Keyamo, 53, did not make the President’s first and second ministerial lists. However, in a dramatic twist of events, Tinubu removed Maryam Shetty, a ministerial nominee from Kano last Friday and replaced her with Keyamo and Mahmood.
