Exposed: Why Senate shifted Amaechi, Shittu’s screening

Strong indications emerged yesterday that members of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions are divided over the screening of Amaechi.

 Gathered, yesterday, that some senators elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and members of the committee were moving against the screening of the former Rivers State governor.

Amaechi had, on Monday, appeared before the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

The panel told him that it was subjudice to discuss the petition over alleged corruption against him by the Integrity Group because the case was in court.

According to Senator Samuel Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East, it was not feasible for the Committee to still look at the petition or still probe Amaechi as the issues raised in the petition before the committee were already in court, adding that in line with the Senate Standing Orders, senators will not attend to it.

Standing Orders

Section 41(7) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended, reads: “The Senate shall not receive any petition on any matter for which there is a judicial remedy.”

Amaechi’s name was later slated on the Order Paper on Wednesday as one of those to be screened by the senate, but was dropped because of non-submission of the report by the committee.

With assurances from Senator Anyanwu that the report will be ready yesterday, hopes were high that senators would screen Amaechi.

A source told Vanguard that soon after Amaechi appeared before the entire committee, some PDP members of the committee met with the petitioner, the Integrity Group, following which it became very difficult for Senator Anyanwu to call his colleagues to a meeting.

The source noted that the Senators do not want to be seen as a rubber stamp.

Members of the committee are Senators Bala Ibn-Na’ Allah, Omotayo Alasoadura, Binta Garba, Olaka Nwogu, Muhammad Shitu, Dino Melaye, Peter Nwaoboshi, Jeremiah Useni; Ogba Obinna and Omogunwa Yele.

Rivers APC reacts

Meanwhile, Rivers State  All Progressives Congress, APC, has insisted that there was no court order from any part of Nigeria compelling the Senate not to screen Amaechi.

The party came out with the position in a statement following rumours that a member of PDP in Rivers State had secured an injunction stopping the Senate from screening him.

In the statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Finebone, Rivers APC said: “We have search at the Federal High Court across the country and did not find any such proceedings pending or order, the Federal High Court being the only court that has jurisdiction to determine any matter in which the Senate is made a party and its duties and functions are the subject matter, in view of Section 251 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”