Reps: we’ve powers to confirm Service chiefs

The House of Representatives yesterday said it had powers to confirm Service chiefs.

The House condemned the impression that only the Senate was empowered to screen and confirm the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Service chiefs.

The House said it had the constitutional power to screen and confirm the appointment of the military chiefs as well.

Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee set up by the House to screen and confirm the military chiefs, Garba Datti, while presenting the report of the Committee on the floor yesterday said Section 18 (1) of Armed Forces Act empowers the National Assembly and not the Senate alone to carry out that particular functuon.

He said the confirmation of the appointment of the military Chiefs was not in the same category as the confirmation of Ministers and others that concerns only the Senate.

The single resolution of the Committee was approved at the Committee of the Whole House chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Lasun Yussuf.

In a related development, the Speaker  urged members to disregard messages making the round about the activities of Selection Committee of the House.

A member of the majority party in the House All Progressives Congress (APC) from Imo State, Austine Chukwukere yesterday asked the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to revisit the issue.

He complained that the Southeast geo-political zone was excluded from the leadership positions in contravention of the federal character principle as recognized by the constitution.

The crisis was resolved last week following a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the party.

Chukwukere, who raised the issue in a point of order said, “For the first time, federal character was neglected in the selection of Principal officers.

The Speaker sustained the point of order, while ruling that a Committee of the leadership of the House would examine the complaints to see if any law was breached concerning the issue