There was a political drama on Thursday as the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule named Senator Ahmed Wadada as his preferred successor come 2027.
Governor Sule was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Wadada was elected on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Wadada, who represents the Nasarawa West senatorial district, is currently the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The PAC is a creation of the 1999 Constitution, with Section 85(5) making its establishment mandatory in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Order 97 of the Senate Standing Rules provides that the Public Accounts Committee must be chaired by a member of the opposition party.
This rule is designed to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public funds by ensuring an opposition member oversees the executive’s expenditures.
It’s within the purview of the Public Accounts Committee to receive, review and scrutinise the Annual Audit Report of the Auditor General for the Federal.
The committee’s roles include summoning heads of the various MDAs to respond to audit queries raised against their establishments by the Auditor General in his audit report.
Senator Wadada, who is still a member of the SDP, was appointed chairman of the PAC by virtue of his opposition status and he has remained in the position till date.
The senator chaired a public hearing of the PAC on Wednesday, April 15, where the committee directed the leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to appear before it on April 29.
Senator Wadada presided at Wednesday’s public hearing as chairman of the committee, affirming his status as a member of the opposition.
The Senate Standing Rules required that the Nasarawa senator vacate his position as the chairman of PAC the moment he joins the ruling party.
It’s not on record that Senator Wadada has resigned from the SDP, nor is there any information of him joining the APC in the public space.
The news of Wadada’s emergence as the preferred successor to Governor Sule was contained in a statement on Thursday, signed by the governor’s media aide, Ali Abare.
The statement, which was silent on Wadada’s current political affiliation, quoted the governor
as saying, “We have to look for people who have the capacity to be able to win this election.”
