How Ramat lost out on NERC’s Chairmanship

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday requested the Senate to confirm two nominees for appointment as commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). But the request which was conveyed in a letter read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio conspicuously had the name of the formerly nominated NERC’s chairman name, Engr. Abdulahi Ramat, missing. […]

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday requested the Senate to confirm two nominees for appointment as commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
But the request which was conveyed in a letter read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio conspicuously had the name of the formerly nominated NERC’s chairman name, Engr. Abdulahi Ramat, missing.
Tinubu, in the correspondence said, “in accordance with the provisions of section 35 subsection 1 and 3 of the Electricity Act 2023, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of the following two persons as commissioners in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.”
He named the nominees as “Aisha Mahmoud Kanti-Bello (commissioner), reappointment” and “Fouad Animashaun (commissioner), new appointment.”
The president further noted that “This appointment supersedes my earlier submission via a letter dated 6th August 2025.”
Daily Trust reports that the previous letter had the name of Ramat to take on the helm of the power regulatory agency due to the retirement of the erstwhile chairman, Engr. Garba Usman, and nominated commissioner of Consumers Affairs, Abubakar Yusuf, who has been changed also.
It would be recalled that upon the announcement of his nomination, Ramat had stormed the headquarters of the commission with a retinue of supporters and security agencies to take over the commission.
Sources at the commission had said his resumption of duty might be due to the initial statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) Bayo Onanuga, that announced his nomination by the president as the new chairman.
Onanuga, in his initial statement said the nominee should resume work immediately in acting capacity pending when he is screened and confirmed by the Senate.
But shortly after that, the Presidency, through Onanuga, issued another statement saying the nominee should resume after his confirmation.
The second statement had asked the current acting chairman, Musiliu Oseni, who is also the vice chairman of the commission, to continue in the current role.
The first statement by Onanuga, stated thus; “…to avoid a leadership vacuum in the critical regulatory agency, the president directed that Engr. Ramat assumes office in acting capacity pending his screening by the Senate, as stipulated by the law. President Tinubu urged the new appointees to use their knowledge and experience to discharge their functions and work assiduously to advance the administration’s power sector vision.”
The second statement with the title; reissued, said, “The commission’s acting chairman will continue to hold his position until the confirmation of the new chairman-designate.”
But five months after the drama he was not confirmed. Then followed campaign of protests
In November, a series of protests were held in the National Assembly to demand the confirmation of Ramat after his name was sent to the senate for confirmation on October 7.
Addressing newsmen during the protest, the leader, Ahmed I. Suleiman, said the Senate had no justification to withhold Ramat’s confirmation after he had already been screened and recommended by the Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
In a letter addressed to Akpabio, and copied to President Tinubu, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, the protesters urged the National Assembly to act without further delay.
“We respectfully bring to your attention a matter of significant concern: the yet-to-be-concluded confirmation of our son, Engr. Ramat Abdullahi, as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)
“Engr. Abdullahi has, over the past decade, served in various capacities, ranging from local governance to advisory roles within the Kano State government, as well as in his private ventures.
“He possesses the requisite academic and professional qualifications, as well as valuable experience, to lead a strategic institution as critical as NERC at this pivotal time in our country’s energy journey,” the letter read in part.
The protesters appealed to the Senate President to ensure that the matter is resolved urgently, adding that the continued delay sends the wrong signal about the credibility of the confirmation process and could discourage qualified Nigerians from public service.
Barau blamed for his non-confirmation
Later, a Kano-based socio-political group, Grassroots Initiative Concept, accused the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, of working behind the scenes to frustrate the confirmation of Ramat.
Addressing a press conference in Kano, the group convener, Alwan Hassan, expressed concern over what it described as “credible reports” that the lawmaker has been lobbying within the National Assembly and the Presidency to derail Ramat’s nomination.
The statement alleged that Senator Jibrin has been persuading the Senate President to join him in pressuring President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the nomination — an act the Forum warned would “undermine due process and meritocracy.”
He also alleged that the senate had requested a $10 million bribe to make his confirmation.
But the Senate refuted the allegations that its leadership received a $10 million bribe to block the screening and confirmation of Ramat.
In reaction to the allegations, the chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), described the allegation as baseless and mischievous.
Adaramodu said that the Senate decided to suspend Mr Ramat’s screening and confirmation due to “a baggage of public and private complaints” raised against his nomination.
“The Senate is statutorily bound to pause consideration of any nominee facing serious public petitions or controversies. Many nominees in the past have been stepped down for similar reasons. Mr. Ramat’s case is no exception,” he said.
The Senate spokesman stressed that the upper chamber would not succumb to blackmail or allow individuals to undermine its integrity through false allegations.
Alwan eventually apologised to the leadership of the Senate for wrongfully accusing them of receiving $10 million to stall the confirmation.
He particularly apologised to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and his Deputy, Senator Barau Jibrin, admitting that the allegation against them and the leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly was “not only untrue but also unfair and uncharitable to both the National Assembly and its leadership.”
Ganduje’s connection
A source said most people did not have the knowledge that it was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Ibrahim Masar, that gave Ramat’s name for the position and not the former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as being insinuated.
“It is unfortunate that his situation turned out like this, while he also made the mistake of engaging in grandiose resumption of office, without confirmation, serving as a local government chairman under Ganduje made his matter worse.
“Even if the Deputy Senate President denied he was not involved in Ramat’s predicament, we all know it is not true as he is one of those that did not make his confirmation possible. This is due to the power struggle between him and Ganduje for the control of the APC’s structure in Kano State,” the source said.
Oseni tipped as new chairman
Since the retirement of Engr. Usman as the chairman of the commission, Dr. Musiliu Oseni, the Vice Chairman of NERC, has been leading the commission in acting capacity and has continued in office despite the expiration of his tenure as the vice chairman on December 4.
Sources however said the presidency is making moves to nominate him as the new chairman and his name will soon be sent to the senate for confirmation.