Read Full Details of PDP's Plan to Block Amaechi's Final Ministerial Confirmation Today

The opposition People's Democratic Party is ready for a show down today as the Senate is set to finally confirm the ministerial nomination of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, after his screening last week. 

 
                                          Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi

The Senate, on Wednesday, October 28, wrapped up the ministerial screening, which started on October 12, with the screening of the remaining five nominees.

However, the lawmakers will also confirm the outstanding 18 nominees who have already undergone the screening process.

The nominees who were screened yesterday are Dr. Okechukwu Enyinna Enelamah, professor Gozie Anthony Anwuka a, Mohammed Musa Bello, Adamu Adamu and Aisha Abubakar.

 

The other nominees who had been previously screened but are also awaiting confirmation are Adewole Isaac Folorunso, Hon. Bawa Bwari, Mr. Godfrey Onyeama, Zainab Ahmed, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali and Pastor Usani Usani Uguru.

 

The rest of the nominees are Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Claudius Omoleye Daramola, Brig. Gen. M M Dan-Ali (rtd), Barrister James E Ocholi, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Mustapher Baba Sheburi and Heineken Lokpobiri.

 

Meanwhile, It was learnt that there are moves by senators of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to frustrate the confirmation of two of the ministerial nominees, including the former Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Amaechi and the Cross Rivers State representative, Pastor Usani Usani Uguru.

 

The PDP senators caucus met for more than one hour after yesterday’s plenary sitting to hatch their strategy on how to tackle the two nominees today, National Mirror learnt.

 

It was learnt that part of the plan agreed by the senators was to urge all the PDP senators to be present in plenary today to add their voices to the direction of the proposed voting of the party.

 

The lawmakers agreed that should the Senate President eventually use his discretion to wrongly interpret the voice votes, especially as it pertains to Amaechi and Uguru, the PDP senators would call for division, wherein, there will be vote counts to determine the actual voting pattern.

 

The PDP senators had boycotted the screening of Amaechi last week because of the refusal of Saraki to discuss the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition on the alleged fraud allegations leveled against the former governor by a Portharcourt-based integrity group.

 

Following the boycott of the PDP senators, only APC senators eventually screened Amaechi.