At last, Senate screens Amaechi, supporters jubilate

The Senate on Thursday finally screened the former Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, a ministerial nominee from Rivers State. The Senate had twice postponed the screening of the former governor owing to some allegations of fraud levelled against him by the Rivers State Government and the scheduled trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on alleged false declaration of assets on Wednesday. At the inception of the screening on Thursday, however, Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, had opposed Amaechi’s screening on the grounds that the report of the ad hoc committee, set up by the Senate to look into the petitions against Amaechi’s nomination, had only been submitted but not considered by the lawmakers. Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, argued that it would be inappropriate to ask the ministerial nominee questions when the report of the panel set up to investigate the allegations against him had not been considered. He added that the Peoples Democratic senators, whom he represents, would not ask the nominee questions as the report of the committee had not been considered. Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, citing a point of order, faulted Akpabio’s argument, saying the screening of Amaechi could not be tied to the panel’s report as the two issues, according to him, are different. He moved that if the PDP lawmakers were not interested in asking the nominee questions, Amaechi could be asked to take a bow and leave. Saraki asked the senators to ask the ministerial nominee questions, after which Amaechi was questioned on alleged corruption, agitation of the Niger Delta states for more allocations from the federation accounts and the controversial 2013 Nigerian Governors Forum’s election. Responding to a question from the Senator, representing Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, on alleged fraud by the Rivers State Government, the former governor, holding what he described as a panel report, said the panel, set up by the state government, did not indict him in its report. Amaechi added that it was the White Paper the Rivers State Government issued on the panel report that alleged that he was indicted. After Saraki asked Amaechi to go after 50 minutes of questioning, hordes of supporters, who had taken over the lobby of the Senate Chamber and the assembly’s complex, started a mini celebration along the corridor, singing, “You don win!”