Senate’s Clearance Of Amaechi, Endorsement Of Corruption -PDP …Action Misconstrued -Sen Sani

L-R: Rivers State Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Dr. Justina Jumbo, President Nigeria Medical Association, Rivers State branch, Dr. Furo Green, Prof. Nelson Chukwuemeka Nwankwo and the chairperson, Local Organizing Committee, Dr. Petrohilla Tabansi,during the Physicians Week organised by NMA in Port Harcourt, recently.

The political intrigues surrounding the ministerial screening of former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his eventual confirmation for appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated Senate has been described as an official endorsement of corruption and gross abuse of democracy.
This is the view of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in reaction to the nod given to President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of Amaechi as one of his ministers despite the monumental allegations of fraud, looting of state treasury and unprecedented abuse of trust while he held sway as governor of the state for eight wasted years, as contained in the Justice George Omereji led-Judicial Commission of Inquiry and the Rivers State Government white paper which indicted Amaechi.
Making its position known through a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, the state Chairman of PDP, Bro Felix Obuah, yesterday, said for throwing the most revered rules of the Senate and the sanctity of the laws of the land to the winds for the singular reason to compensate an indicted party member does not only amount to fait accompli but also exposes the hypocrisy of the APC-led Federal Government that anchored its campaign slogan on anti-corruption crusade.
The state PDP chairman, who expressed shock that the APC senators could descend so low as to fling away the report of  the ethics and privileges committee just to have their way without minding the feelings of the people they are representing amount to formal approval of corruption.
He, however, commended the courage of the PDP senators for staging a walk-out, which is a historic statement that they were not and could not be part of the institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria and the legalization of criminality and scarification of integrity on the altar of loyalty.
Obuah remarked for the umpteenth time that Amaechi is only representing the interests of his benefactors and definitely not Rivers people as the state prefers to suffer persecution for standing on the side of truth and what is right to being eulogized and pampered as a chief servant in a slave house.
“While we look to the end of the APC-led federal government which has started on precarious feet of falsehood and deceit, we can only say that the end can never contradict its means which in this case, is suspect.
“Our regret is the APC’s disservice and disappointment to the entire Nigerians whose hope of getting a better alternative government from the Buhari administration and 8th Senate has been dashed.
“It’s an illusion to think that Amaechi and his like as ministers would perform anything different from what they did while they served in all other capacities”, the state PDP boss declared.
Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central), yesterday, said that Senate’s clearance of former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi as minister, was not a tacit endorsement of corruption.
Our correspondent reports that Sani spoke during a visit to ailing Abdulkareem Albashir, a veteran journalist and columnist, during which he offered to settle his medical bills and an artificial limb.
According to him, the accusations of corruption against the former governor remain a mere allegation until a court of competent jurisdiction pronounces him guilty.
“The APC position on corrupt allegation is that it is still an allegation and the issue is still in court which the senate committee should not have entertained in the first place.
“In the general sense, we are duty bound to protect the interest of someone in our party and the opposition has the right to object to whoever is presented.
“In the broader sense, Nigerians and posterity will judge whether our approval of Amaechi was a tacit endorsement of corruption because the issues raised were not enough to stop his confirmation.
“But we must also understand that even if you are made a minister and you get convicted, the law will take its course.
“Certainly if he is found guilty, he would not continue to serve as minister under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”
On the walkout by the opposition senators under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Sani said that their action was part of democracy.
“I think nothing is wrong with that, I see the walkout by the PDP senators as history repeating itself.
“Opposition senators walked out when Mr Musiliu Obanikoro was brought in for screening for ministerial position by the previous administration.
“You remember that their protest did not stop the ruling party from having its way,” Sani recalled.