Panel cautions Senate against prejudice By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Hacourt) on October 20, 2015 1:41 am
• Amaechi denies going to Saraki’s residence
THE Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and
Public Petitions investigating the petitions against
the ministerial ambition of former Rivers State
governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has
cautioned the Senate against acting in a manner
that might be prejudicial to matters pending in
court.
After deliberation on the petition received against
the nomination of Amaechi, the committee
recommended that because the subject matter
was pending in court, it should be dropped.
The committee also faulted the petition written
against the nomination of Sokoto State ministerial
nominee, Aisha Abubakar on the ground that it
was not properly addressed.
Meanwhile, Amaechi, has described as untrue a
report that he stormed the residence of the Senate
President, Bukola Saraki, to protest the deferment
of his screening last week
Although the committee failed to disclose the
outcome of its decision on Amaechi after a closed
door meeting it held yesterday, it was learnt that
a recommendation that the matter concerning the
petition against Amaechi be treated in line with
section 53 (5) of the Senate Standing order which
frowns at the consideration of any matter that
was pending in court be submitted as the final
decision of the committee on the investigation.
Order 53 (5) states:
“Reference shall not be made to any matter on
which a judicial decision is pending, in such a
way as might in the opinion of the President to
the Senate prejudice the interest of parties
thereto”.
The committee members, it was further gathered,
were however split into two on whether to ignore
the petition and clear Amaechi or to completely
drop the consideration of Amaechi’s nomination.
A newspaper, not The Guardian had reported that
Amaechi whose screening had been deferred last
week following a petition by a Port Harcourt
based Integrity Group accusing him of corruption
which he has since denied, was alleged to have
been incensed over the deferment of his
screening and had to storm Saraki’s house to
register his protest.
Amaechi noted that the report which the
newspaper purportedly got from ‘sources’,
further claimed that during the visit of Thursday,
last week, that he was said to have raised his
voice to express his frustration before leaving the
residence without seeing the Senate President
The former governor who is most likely due for
screening today observed that the imagery
created in the 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.
Describing it as “absolutely not true, ” Amaechi
argued that there is a deliberate and carefully
calibrated attempt to characterize him with a very
bad and demeaning mannerism, just as he
insisted that for the purpose of clarity, that he did
not visit the residence of the Senate President on
Thursday last week and that there is absolutely
no way what the newspaper sources claimed to
have transpired, happened
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