Protesters Storm National Assembly Over Delayed Confirmation of NERC Chairman Nominee
Fresh controversy surrounding the stalled confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Abdullahi Ramat, escalated on Tuesday as scores of protesters stormed the National Assembly, urging the Senate to conclude the process without further delay.
The demonstrators—comprising Ramat’s supporters, civil society groups, and rights activists—marched around the parliamentary complex, chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with messages such as “President Tinubu Did Not Send Nominees to be Harassed” and “Ramat Represents Reform in Power Sector.”
The protest followed last month’s decision by the Senate to step down Ramat’s confirmation, despite his successful screening by the Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Leader of the protesters and spokesperson for the Grassroots Initiative Concept, Ahmed Suleiman, told journalists that they had formally petitioned both President Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, insisting that “certain vested interests” were working to derail a credible appointment.
