As the ministerial screening came to an end yesterday, October 28, the Senate seems to have heated up over whether or not it should confirm the former governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi.
Rotimi Amaechi
According to Vanguard, ahead of today’s confirmation of screened ministerial nominees by the senators, the Peoples Democratic Party senators had a crucial meeting in over the confirmation process.
On the other hand, their counterpart on the platform of the All Progressives Congress also embarked on a last minute meeting simultaneously.
The APC senators meeting was said to have been aimed at coming up with ways they would impede any form of opposition from the PDP senators.
According to some sources, the former governor of the oil rich state is being opposed owing to the roles he played in unseating the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, during the 2015 presidential election.
It was said that the PDP senators vowed to withdraw their support for Senate President Bukola Saraki should he force Amaechi’s confirmation.
During Amaechi’s screening, the PDP had senators refused to ask the ministerial nominee any questions.
So far, 18 nominees have been confirmed while the other half are yet to be confirmed.
Most of the nominees impressed the Senate and are expected to be confirmed without any hitches but the confirmation of two of the nominees is not so sure.
Amaechi and the ministerial nominee from Cross River state, Usani Uguru, have been causing controversies among of the senators.
The APC lawmakers are maintaining a position of ensuring that Amaechi was confirmed a minister, but the PDP Senators are saying no to that position until the report of Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions was considered.
However as the confirmation process of the ministerial nominees is expected to be held today, it is said that the ruling of the Senate president will be final and can only be challenged when a senator calls for a division.
Meanwhile, the presidency on Monday, October 26, said that the Senate acted within its rights in deferring the screening of the former governor of Rivers state Amaechi.
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