ABUJA: Tension flared on the floor of the Senate on Thursday in Abuja as Senators Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) and Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) engaged in a heated exchange during the screening of former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, for an ambassadorial appointment.
The disagreement occurred while the Senate was considering a motion recommending that Omokri and other nominees be asked to take a bow and leave, a procedure often adopted for nominees deemed to have met basic requirements.
Trouble began when Senator Ali Ndume insisted that the motion must first be formally seconded before any senator could make comments on the nomination. Ndume maintained that Senate rules and procedure must be strictly followed to preserve order and due process.
However, Senator Adams Oshiomhole strongly objected to Ndume’s position, insisting that he should be allowed to speak before the motion was seconded.
Oshiomhole argued that Omokri’s nomination should not be treated as routine, citing what he described as raging issues in the public domain surrounding the nominee.
According to Oshiomhole, those concerns warranted open discussion on the Senate floor before any motion to clear Omokri was adopted.
His insistence led to a sharp verbal exchange between both lawmakers, briefly disrupting proceedings and drawing the attention of other senators present.
The clash underscored growing divisions within the chamber over how ambassadorial nominations should be handled, particularly when nominees are perceived to be controversial figures in public discourse.
The incident has since generated widespread reactions, especially on social media, with many Nigerians weighing in on the conduct of the lawmakers and the broader implications for the Senate’s screening process.
The screening session later continued after efforts were made to restore order, but the confrontation between Oshiomhole and Ndume remained one of the most talked-about moments of the day.
