Ministerial nominees: PDP senators stage Walk-Out as Senate confirms Amaechi, 17 others; We’re now united — APC
Senators elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Thursday, staged a walk-out on the floor of the legislative house as the Senate moved to confirm the 18 ministerial nominees it had already screened, including the controversial former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
The PDP senator had maintained their Wednesday’s resolve not to participate in the confirmation of Amaechi, as they expressed unhappiness that one of the nominees it opposed (Amaechi), was about to be confirmed.
It would be recalled that Senators of the PDP Caucus, had Tuesday, refused to participate in the screening of Amaechi in protest that the report of the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee on allegations of fraud against him was not considered before his screening began.
During the brief meeting, the senators decided that they would maintain that position in Thursday’s confirmation exercise.
However, despite the walk-out, the Senate confirmed Amaechi and 17 others as ministers.
The senate also rejected the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which considered the petition against Amaechi by a group known as the Integrity Group.
During Wednesday’s plenary session which lasted for about four hours, five nominees were screened by the legislators. They are Mr Okechukwu Eyinna Enelameh (Abia); Mr Anwuka Anthony Gozie (Imo State); Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) and Hajiya Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto).
Earlier, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, who presented petitions to the Senate against the nomination of Aisha Abubakar, withdrew them, thereby making way for her screening by the Senate.
The petitions had queried her qualification for the position of a minister, alleging that she is not known to be a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and that she is not known in Sokoto State, among other issues.
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the APC leadership said the ‘confirmation of all the ministerial nominees by the Senate, despite some misgivings by the opposition, has shown clearly that there is no longer any division within the APC family.’
”The cohesion and unity exhibited by the APC Senators on Thursday have shown that our legislators are ready to work with the executive and the party to ensure that the agenda of the party is implemented for the benefit of all Nigerians,” the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
”We commend all our members and leaders in the Senate and indeed the leadership of the APC for this show of unity,” it said.
APC said democracy was clearly at work in the Senate on Thursday, despite the decision of the opposition PDP Senators to stage a walk out over the confirmation of former Gov. Chibuike Amaechi.
‘It is part of democracy that while the minority can have their say, the majority will have their way. Therefore, the decision of the PDP Senators to walk out is nothing but democracy in action,” the party said.
It, however, enjoined the entire National Assembly to continue to work with the executive arm of government for the overall interest of Nigeria and its people.
”With the stage now set for the federal cabinet to be in place, we implore all Nigerians, irrespective of their party affiliation, to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his onerous task of making Nigeria great again,” APC said
