Senator George Sekibo, who is one of the Rivers senators opposed to the nomination of the immediate past governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi as minister has stressed that it is one thing to be screened and another to be confirmed.

This is even as the Senate has shifted further screening of ministerial nominees to October 27, 2015.
Senator Sekibo, the lawmaker representing Rivers East senatorial district disclosed this in a chat with the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, shortly before Amaechi got into the hallowed chamber of the Senate for his screening.

While pointing out that “screening and confirmation are two different things,” he said, “If the order paper says we should take him, we will take him,”

In Sekibo’s words, “It is not my own individual position; the senate position supersedes every other person’s position, so if his name is included in the order paper to be screened, he will be screened; we will not stop him.

“But the issue is not either to be screened or not to be screened. The issue is to be confirmed or not to be confirmed; they are two different issues.

“We cannot stop him from being screened but our plea is already before the senate. I don’t want to repeat it, it is before the senate. We have said it before the nation; it is in the court of the Nigerian people.

“The senators have the power to agree to what they want to agree to and to reject what they want to reject because it is not an individual matter, it’s not a personal matter, it’s a national matter,” the lawmaker stated.

It would be recalled that all three senators from Rivers state opposed the nomination of Amaechi as minister on the grounds of alleged corruption and fraud.

The former governor is being accused of mismanaging N70 billion of Rivers state funds, an allegation he has consistently denied, claiming that he is a victim of witch-hunt by his successor, Nyesom Wike.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has shifted further screening of ministerial nominees to Tuesday, October 27, when it resumes for plenary.

The Senate on Thursday screened former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); former Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Heineken Lopkobiri (Bayelsa); Claudius Omoyele Daramola (Ondo); Baba Shehun Mustapha (Bornu) and Ocholi Enojo James (Kogi).

This development has further put on hold the screening of former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, a ministerial nominee from Osun State, who was earlier billed to be screened on Thursday.

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