APC to Senate: Petitions can’t stop Amaechi, others

APC to Senate: Petitions can’t stop Amaechi, others. (The Nation)

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday threw its weight behind former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and other embattled ministerial nominees, saying they are above board.

The petitions against their nominations, the party said, could not stop their screening by the Senate.

According to APC National Secretary, Mallam Mai Malla Buni, the petitions do not amount to conviction.

The Senate until now had not screened  Amaechi, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Hajia Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto) and Hajia Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed (Kaduna).

Their screening is expected to hold between today and tomorrow.

Buni, who spoke exclusively with The Nation last night, said the party would support all the nominees irrespective of the petitions against them.

He said: “On this ministerial screening, the party is behind all its nominees. That is why the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and key members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have attended the screening of nominees to give them moral support.

“As far as we are concerned, the  petitions against some nominees cannot stop their screening because petitions are not court verdicts.

“A mere petition cannot be a conviction. These nominees are not guilty until otherwise  proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. We are throwing our weight behind the nominees.”

Security has been beefed up at the National Assembly Complex ahead of today’s ministerial screening.

A security source said: “We have heard of plans by some people to mobilise protesters to the National Assembly but we will ensure that there is no security breach.

“We have been directed to ensure thorough screening of those coming to the assembly.

“Only staff and those accredited will be allowed to enter the National Assembly complex. There is no room for loafers.”

Also yesterday, Amaechi Media Office denied a report that the ministerial nominee stormed out of the residence of Senate President Bukola Saraki last Thursday.

In a statement in Abuja, the office  said: “Our attention has been drawn to the lead report in a  newspaper of today (Monday, October 19, 2015), where it was reported that Amaechi, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State “was incensed over the deferment of his screening last week and stormed Saraki’s house to register his protest.

“The  report which the respected newspaper got from ‘sources’, further claimed that during the visit of Thursday, last week, Amaechi “was said to have raised his voice to express his frustration before leaving the residence without seeing the Senate President…”

“The imagery created in the last four paragraphs of the lead report was an angry Amaechi who stormed the residence of Senate President Bukola Saraki, raised his voice as he made a scene or caused a “ruckus” to display his frustration over the deferment of his screening by the Senate, before “storming out in a huff”, without seeing the Senate President.

“This is absolutely not true. There is a deliberate and carefully calibrated attempt to characterise Amaechi with a very bad and demeaning mannerism.

“We must clarify that Amaechi did not visit and was not at the residence of the Senate President on Thursday of last week. Since he did not go to the residence of the Senate President on Thursday of last week, so, there is absolutely no way what the newspaper sources claimed to have transpired, happened.

“We must emphasise that Amaechi holds the office of the President of the Senate in very high esteem and will never disrespect or act in anyway that would put the office in disrepute. However, in this case, the incident reported never occurred either on Thursday or any other day.

“While we understand the constraints and pressures journalists face in doing their jobs, we would advise them to be thorough and double-check or even triple-check their sources of information.

“There seems to exist an axis of fifth columnists, masquerading as ‘sources’ to journalists, but fabricate events, incidences and stories that never happened to malign and destroy the character and reputation of others, while fomenting acrimony and bad blood in the polity. Journalists must beware of such “sources.”

The Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee will today submit its report on the petition against Amaechi.

Its Chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, told reporters yesterday in Abuja that the panel had concluded work on the case.

The committee has refused the petition against Hajia Aisha Abubakar, a Sokoto State ministerial nominee.

Anyanwu said the committee was ready to present its report to the Senate today for consideration.

He said he expected the Senate to consider the report today and do what is right.

The screening of Amaechi, who is on the first list of 21 ministerial nominees, has been delayed because of a petition against him by Port Harcourt based group “The Integrity Group.”

The group claimed that Amaechi mismanaged N70 billion of Rivers State funds when was governor.

Amaechi however dismissed the allegation as part of the smear campaign against him.

When he appeared before the Senate panel on October 12, Amaechi said the issues contained in the petition were already a subject of litigation.

An insider told our correspondent that in line with the Senate Rules book which forbids it and its committees from considering any matter in court, the panel is constrained.

The source said the panel’s report would be a one-line item that “the substance and ingredients contained in the petition against Amaechi is pending in court for adjudication.”

He said: “We agreed that since the matter is in court, there is little the committee can do than to report to the Senate that this matter you assigned to us to consider is in court. It is as straight forward as that.”

On the petition against Hajia Abubakar, the panel noted that it was wrongly addressed.

Three members of the committee, Senator Obinna Ogba, Jeremiah Useni and Dino Melaye said the panel should have noting to do with the petition since it was addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and not Saraki.

They noted that the petitioners merely copied the Senate for “information”

Ogba said the Senate standing rule is clear that all petitions must be addressed to the Senate through its President.

He said it would be wrong for the Senate to consider a petition addressed to Buhari.

Useni said: “If you agree with me, we should ask Aisha to go because the petition against her was wrongly addressed.”

Anyanwu, who agreed that the petition was wrongly addressed asked the nominee whether she is actually from Sokoto State and whether she is a member of APC.

Hajia Abubakar said she hails from Dogan Daji in Tambuwal Local Government, Sokoto State.

The nominee also told the committee that as a civil servant, she is not supposed to belong to any political party.

Shortly after her discharge by the committee, the petitioners led by Hajia Balaraba Abdullahi walked into Room 120, which the committee is sitting.

Hajia Abdullahi agreed that the petition was addressed to President Buhari through the APC chairman in Sokoto State.

She brought out another handwritten petition asking the committee to consider it.

Anyanwu ruled that since the handwritten petition was not what Senator Abdullahi Gobir presented and laid on the floor of the Senate, the committee would not consider it.

He asked the petitioners to go home and reroute their petition properly before it could be considered.

Anyanwu insisted that it would be against Senate rule for the committee to consider a petition that was not properly routed.

He said, “I will advise that you go home, if you still want to pursue this petition, give it to your Senator to lay before the Senate for consideration by this honourable committee. The petition that was addressed to the President of the country is certainly not for the Senate.”