*Senate panel dismisses petition against Sokoto state ministerial nominee
Senator Sam Anyanwu (Imo East), the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, said Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State may be screened by the Senate on Tuesday.
Rotimi Amaechi: screening as minister Tuesday
Anyanwu revealed this on Monday in Abuja, while speaking with newsmen at the end of the committee’s meeting.
According to him, the committee will also submit its report on the petition against the nomination of Amaechi at plenary on Tuesday.
Amaechi was billed to be screened last week, but the Senate could not proceed with his screening as the committee could not submit its report.
The committee’s report was also expected last Thursday, but the Senate did not continue with the screening of nominees.
Anyanwu further disclosed that the report on the petition against Aisha Abubakar, another ministerial nominee, would equally be submitted at plenary.
“We have heard Amaechi’s petition and all these reports will be ready tomorrow.
“Except there are further petitions, the reports on all the petitions so far received, will be submitted tomorrow.
“For now, what we have is that of Aisha Abubakar and that of Rotimi Amaechi, which will be submitted to the Senate tomorrow,” he said.
The committee earlier dismissed the petition against Aisha Abubakar, saying it was wrongly addressed.
The committee said, all petitions sent to the Senate must be addressed to the Senate President.
Anyanwu told the petitioners, led by Mrs Balarabe Abdu, to properly address the petition and represent it if they still wished to pursue the case.
The chairman said that the letter was addressed directly to President Buhari and the Senate was only copied.
The petitioners said Abubakar was not a member of the APC or any other political party, and therefore questioned her competence.
In her defence, Aisha Mohammed said that she was a public servant and would remain a public servant, until she was successfully confirmed by the senate.
