Ministerial Hearing: Drama As PDP Senators Keep Mum As Amaechi Is Screened

After repeated delays in the screening of former governor of Rivers state Rotimi Amaechi by the senate for a ministerial post, he eventually faced the lawmakers on Thursday.
He was the first to face the senators for the day, followed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
Amaechi arrived to the senate chambers accompanied by the All Progressive Congress (APC) chairman John Oyegun and other party leaders.



It was not without drama. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators led by the senate minority leader Godswill Akpabio refused to ask Amaechi any question saying the committee on ethics’ report on the allegations of corruption against the nominee had not treated.
At some points, the chamber became rowdy as senators engaged in shouting match between those in support and against the nominee.

Chairman of the committee Senator Sam Anyanwu had laid the report of his committee before the senate before the commencement of the day’s proceedings.
Amaechi name had been dropped three times from the lists of nominees screened and confirmed by the senate in the past two weeks, following a petition by Port Harcourt based Integrity Group against his nomination.


In his responses to questions during the nearly one hour screening, Amaechi denied the corruption allegations against him.  He said he had a copy of the Rivers state’s panel of inquiry which purportedly indicted him of corruption.  “There is no where I was indicted in the report. With the permission of the senate president, I would like to lay this report which I brought here. There is no place where the panel indicted me,” he said.  Amaechi said he won a second term as chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum defeating former governor of Plateau state Jonah Jang who is now a senator.


He said because the federal government then led by President Goodluck Jonathan was not comfortable with the forum which it considered as too “radical” and “union”.
The former governor of Rivers state said the forum was meant to check the excesses of the federal government.
Daily Trust.