The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, last Thursday, surprisingly cleared Prof. Sani Adam (SAN), whose nomination was stepped down two days earlier, despite the overwhelming opposition from the senators.

Adam, a nominee of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission for the North Central Zone; and a presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, were not cleared by the Senate last week Tuesday at plenary.

While Onochie was rejected based on issues bordering on federal character, Adam’s confirmation was stepped down because of petitions against him based on a pending court case involving him and the University of Jos.

The INEC panel recommended that the professor’s nomination be stepped down because the matter was still pending before the Supreme Court.

However, investigations by our correspondent revealed that the INEC panel Chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya, suddenly summoned a meeting on Wednesday night, with a sole agenda of clearing Adam.

The development, according to investigations, caused disharmony among the senators who have vowed to resist such move.

A member of the panel who spoke with our correspondent on conditions of anonymity, on that day, said he got the invitation at about 9pm on Wednesday for the meeting scheduled for 8am today.

He had said, ” I don’t know what impression we are creating in the minds of members of the public by rescinding a decision we took barely 24 hours.

“Why can’t we wait to the matter is decided by the Supreme Court before reopening it?

Attempts to speak with Gaya on phone failed and he did not reply to the text message sent to him on the issue.

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Meanwhile, Gaya had presented the report of his committee seeking the Senate clearance, Lawan put the question via voice vote and the senators chorused nay.

Undeterred by the position of the senators, Lawan ruled in favour of Adam, despite the fact that no senator was heard saying “aye” to his question.

The nominee was invariably cleared for appointment as INEC National Commissioner.

Gaya had explained that when the university’s management dismissed Adam’s service, he went to the Federal High Court for redress and he won.

He said the University appealed the judgement at the Court of Appeal, and the appellate court vacated the judgement of the lower court and upheld the University’s action and imposed a stay of execution on the judgement.

He said the professor is currently at the Supreme Court to seek redress because he claimed that the appellate court determined the case on technical grounds.