Senate Again Blocks PDP’s Move To Stop Letter Confirming Amaechi, Others

A move by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to stop the transmission of a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Senate, on confirmation of Rotimi Amaechi and 17 others as ministers-designates, ran into on a hitch, on Tuesday, as the Senate President scuttled it by the power of the gavel.

The Ministers were confirmed after screening last Wednesday, whereas the Senate was to forward a memo to Buhari, notifying him of the confirmation.

The PDP demonstrated discontentment with the manner the Ministers-designate were screened when one of its members, Peter Nwaoboshi, refused to second a motion for adopting the vote of proceedings of last Wednesday meant to officially ratify and record the confirmation of the ministers- to-be.

Nwaoboshi when called upon by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to second the motion earlier moved by Senator Isiaka Adeleke, said he would not do so because he was not in the plenary when Amaechi and others were confirmed for ministerial appointments.

He was referring to a walk out staged by all PDP Senators last Thursday in protest against the move by the Senate to confirm Amaechi and other nominees who had petitions pending against them, and which precluded the PDP senators from voting during the confirmation period.

The drama on votes of proceedings started shortly after the Senate resumed for plenary, Bukola called for a motion to adopt the documented proceedings of the Senate’s last sitting.

Adeleke had moved the motion when called upon, while the PDP senator who should second it declined to do so.

Saraki, in the alternative, settled for an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, Hon. Ibrahim Gobir, to do so.

However, in the course of general voting for the approval of the votes of proceedings, the PDP senators were unanimous in the shout of ‘nay’, in apparent desperation to drawn the ‘ayees’ by the APC senators.

Although it appeared that the nay was louder on the side of the opposition, the Senate President, however hit the gavel to give the day to the ‘ayes’, a development which finally signified that Amaechi and others would be sworn in any moment by Buhari.

With the latest development, the Senate is expected to transmit a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on confirmation of ministers-designate as the communication is expected to hasten the process of swearing in of ministers for the Cabinet of President Buhari.

Dailytimes report

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