By Felix Timothy
Fresh tension has erupted over the delayed confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Abdullahi Ramat, as protesters on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly, demanding swift Senate action.
The demonstrators, made up of Ramat’s supporters, civil society organisations, and rights advocates, gathered around the parliamentary complex in Abuja, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with inscriptions such as “President Tinubu Did Not Send Nominees to be Harassed” and “Ramat Represents Reform in Power Sector.”
Their protest followed the Senate’s decision last month to suspend Ramat’s confirmation, despite his successful screening by the Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Addressing journalists, the leader of the protesters and spokesperson of the Grassroots Initiative Concept, Ahmed Suleiman, said the group had petitioned both President Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing “certain vested interests” of attempting to frustrate a credible appointment.
Suleiman described Ramat as a qualified professional with the academic and technical background required for the NERC leadership role. He said it was “surprising and deeply unsettling” that the Senate stepped down his nomination on October 22 after the screening committee had already recommended him for confirmation.
“We have been informed that certain interests have mounted pressure to block his confirmation using politically motivated petitions and false allegations,” Suleiman claimed. “This sets a dangerous precedent where competence and merit are undermined by politics.”
He urged the Senate not to succumb to political manipulation, stressing that confirming Ramat would serve the national interest and strengthen the Tinubu administration’s energy reforms.
The renewed agitation came just days after the Senate threatened to sue former presidential aide Alwan Hassan over allegations that lawmakers had accepted a $10 million bribe to halt Ramat’s confirmation.
Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu dismissed the bribery allegations as “baseless and mischievous,” explaining that the confirmation was suspended following “public and private complaints” about the nominee’s suitability.
“Many nominees have been stepped down due to public outcry. The case of Mr. Ramat is not an exception,” Adaramodu stated.
He said the Senate would not be blackmailed into confirming any candidate “under a cloud of public concern” and vowed that Hassan would be compelled to present evidence in court.
Ramat’s nomination remains on hold pending further legislative and public scrutiny, even as public frustration continues to mount over persistent power shortages and rising electricity tariffs across the country.
