Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised an objection to the appointment of the retired
General Abayomi Olonisakin,
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, and
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar based on petitions received by the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The former service chiefs had been appointed by
President Muhammadu Buhari in January, only a week after they stepped down from the roles they occupied since 2015.
Due to their perceived failures as military chiefs, many Nigerians had repeatedly called for the dismissal of the old service chiefs whose normal period of service Buhari extended for over three years. Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the former service chiefs have served Nigeria well [Tope Brown]
General Abayomi Olonisakin (Chief of Defence Staff),
Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff),
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff) and
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff) all resigned and retired a week ago.
The presidency announced on Thursday, February 4, 2021 that Buhari has forwarded the names of all four to the Senate for confirmation.
Air Vice Marshal Mohammed S. Usman, a retired former Chief of Defence Intelligence, was also nominated by the president.
Buhari urged the Senate to give expeditious consideration to the nominations, according to the presidency.
The nomination of the four retired service chiefs will raise eyebrows as their later service years were plagued by accusations of incompetence.