PDP Senators Walk Out As Amaechi Is Confirmed

Tempers flared at the Senate yesterday during the
confirmation of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi
Amaechi as a minister.
All Progressives Congress (APC) senators and their
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts took on one
another on the propriety or otherwise of clearing him.
PDP senators tried to block his confirmation, but walked
out when they could not have their way.

But Deputy Senate President (DSP) Ike Ekweremadu (PDP
Enugu West) stayed back and joined APC senators to
confirm Amaechi and 17 other nominees. The Senate had
about two weeks ago also confirmed 18 nominees. Others
confirmed yesterday are Adebayo Shittu, Khadija Abba-
Ibrahim, Heineken Lokpobiri, Claudius Omoleye Daramola,
Baba Shehuri Mustapha, Ocholi Enojo James, Adewole
Isaac Folorunso, Bawa Bwari, Geoffrey Onyeama, Zainab
Ahmed, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Usani Usani Uguru,
Okechukwu Eyinna Enelamah, Anwuka Anthony Gozie,
Mohammed Musa Bello, Adamu Adamu and Aisha
Abubakar.
APC has 59 senators, including Senate President Bukola
Saraki; PDP, 49. The 109th senator, who was an APC
member, died few months ago. His seat has yet to be
filled.
A ministerial-nominee requires simple majority to be
confirmed.
In the last dispensation when PDP was in the majority, the
Senate confirmed ministerial nominees without considering
the opposition’s position.
Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro were
cleared by the then David Mark-led Senate despite the
objection of APC senators.
All Progressives Congress (APC) said the confirmation of
the would-be ministers showed that there is no longer any
division within the party.
It hailed its senators for a job well done, saying democracy
was clearly at work in the Senate during the ministerial
screening.
Trouble started yesterday with the presentation of the
report of the Committee on Ethics, Priviledges and Public
Petitions which considered a petition against Amaechi’s
nomination.
A self-styled “The Integrity Group” had petitioned the
Senate, kicking against the confirmation of Amaechi who it
accused of mismanaging N71 billion of Rivers fund when
he was governor.
Presenting the committee report, its Chairman, Senator
Samuel Anyanwu (PDP Imo East), said the panel had
recommended that Amaechi’s confirmation be put on hold
because he is in court challenging the allegation against
him.
The committee, he said, also reviewed the White Paper on
an administrative panel of inquiry, which he said, indicted
Amaechi.
According to him, going ahead to confirm Ameachi would
amount to preempting the court’s decision on the matter.
Anyanwu said eight of the 11-member committee signed
the report.
Reacting to the report, Majority Leader Senator Ali Ndume
said Amaechi should be cleared since the committee
agreed that the upper chamber cannot enquire into a
matter that is in court.
Minority Leader Senator Godswill Akpabio disagreed,
pointing out that PDP senators had earlier refrained from
participating in Amaechi’s screening because the petition
against him was being investigated.
The PDP caucus, he said, changed its position because the
Anyanwu committee has submitted its report.
Senator Thompson Sekibo (PDP Rivers East) came down
hard on Amaechi and the Senate, warning against the
implications of going ahead to confirm the nominee.
Sekibo, who represents Amaechi’s district, said: “We
represent our people and the Nigerian people are in the
majority. The Nigerian people are the ones giving value to
what we are doing.
“There are allegations of corruption, mismanagement of
funds, sale of government assets against the nominee.
There is a moral burden on all of us here. Whatever we do
today, we would be encouraging corruption by confirming
Amaechi”.
Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South) warned of the moral
burden on the Senate and President Muhammadu Buhari if
Amaechi was cleared. According to her, the President
came to power on the crest of being an anti-corruption
crusader and as such his administration should not be
seen encouraging graft.
She said: “There is a weighty allegation against the
nominee and there is need to allow the court to clear the
nominee before he can be confirmed. Nigerians will now
know that this government is not out to fight corruption”.
Earlier, Ndume, who came under Senate Rule 53(7), called
on Saraki to proceed with Amaechi’s confirmation
procedure.
He urged the Senate not to take further action on the panel
report, a statement which drew the ire of Akpabio and
other PDP senators, who argued otherwise.
But Senator Babajide Omoworare (APC Osun East) picked
holes in their arguments.
Citing Sections 147(2) and 66 of the Constitution,
Omoworare pointed out that where a law is in conflict with
the Constitution, such law “must automatically bow to the
supremacy of the Constitution”.
Omoworare cited constitutional provisions to back APC
senators’ position.
As Senator Barnabas Gemade (APC Benue Northeast) rose
to speak, the PDP senators started walking out of the
chambers.
They shunned Gemade’s and other APC senators’ plea not
to leave. They left without Ekweremadu, who waited till the
end of proceedings.
Following their exit, Saraki called for voice vote on
Amaechi’s confirmation.
The response was a deafening and prolonged “aye”, with
many of the senators rising on their feet and screaming
their affirmation in excitement.
Addressing reporters in the Senate Hearing Room 1 later,
Akpabio, who spoke on PDP senators’ behalf, claimed that
they were denied their right to speak.
He said: “We were shut out when we wanted to react to
the report when it was laid.
There was a little bit of something we don’t think is in
conformity with morality there. Once a case is before a
competent court of law, any action on that matter is
subjudice and the committee was able to establish that the
issues that were brought against the nominee are already
issues that were adjudicated upon by the Court of Appeal
and other courts of competent jurisdiction. So the issue of
taking further action on his nomination whether by way of
appointment or otherwise did not exist . We tried to make
this point but they felt as a majority party there was no
need to comply with the law.
“The law is very clear that once a matter is before a court
of competent jurisdiction you can take no further action.
So there was nothing wrong with suspending the issue of
confirmation until those cases are disposed of and in this
case I understand it is the nominee that went to court.
“It could have been a good idea for the nominee to
withdraw his cases from court to allow the Senate to go
into the matter but when that did not happen we felt that
as lawmakers we have a responsibility to Nigerians not to
partake in that kind of charade.
“It is not normal for PDP senators to stage a walk out. This
is the first time and it is because we feel very strongly that
there is a total breach  of the law in this case that where a
matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction that any
action you take will be subjudice . Our colleagues did not
allow us to air our view, they were bent on what they had
already discussed and performing an illegality and we will
not be part of that illegality. Walking out will not be
constant in the Senate but this was very clear.”