By Kingston Magare 11.11.2025
A few hundred protesters Tuesday marched on to the National Assembly premises to put pressure on the Senate lead by Godswill Akpabio to confirm the nomination of Abdullahi Ramat as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) chairman.
Mr. Ramat was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and has been screened by the Senate committee on power led by Enyinnaya Abaribe, but the Senate according to its spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu, Ramat’s confirmation has been delayed because of issues of public concern that has cropped up.
The protesters, made up of Ramat’s supporters, civil society organizations, and human rights activists, paraded around the parliamentary complex, chanting solidarity songs and holding placards with various inscriptions such as “President Tinubu Did Not Send Nominees to be Harassed” and “Ramat Represents Reform in the Power Sector.”
Addressing journalists, the leader of the protest and spokesperson for the Grassroots Initiative Concept, Ahmed Suleiman, said they had petitioned both President Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging that “certain vested interests” were attempting to block the appointment for political reasons.
“We write as proud indigenes of Kano State, just like the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, to reaffirm our commitment to peace and good governance,” Suleiman stated.
“It is surprising and deeply unsettling that Engr. Ramat’s confirmation was stepped down despite his qualifications and the positive recommendation of the screening committee.
“We have since learned that some vested interests are pushing false narratives to discredit him,” he alleged.