OPINION: Rotimi Amaechi, A Cat With Nine Lives On Buhari's Ministerial List
Since President Muhammadu Buhari sent his list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly on 30 of September, Nigerians, who were eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the names, have not ceased tearing the list apart. While some have applauded Buhari for coming up with such nominees, others have dismissed them, saying the list was not worth waiting for that long. This latter group said the nominees are mostly recycled politicians, one of whom had served as a minister over 36 years ago.
Beyond the recycling issue, the list features prominent names that were anticipated but also fell short of those that were bandied about by Nigerians on the social and mainstream media before it was made public. The nominees that have thrown up a lot of contoroversies and debates are poster boys of the APC government: former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, and his erstwhile counterpart in Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi. There has been a plethora of unsubstantiated allegations of corruption against them.
The Senate, whose president, Bukola Saraki, is facing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets when he was governor of Kwara state, is setting stringent conditions for screening of the ministerial nominees. The Senate said this is in line with the change mantra of this administration. One of such conditions is that a ministerial nominee must have the backing of at least two of the three senators from his state to scale the screening hurdle. This is where the likes of Amaechi may not find it easy since the senators from his state belong to the opposition PDP, and they have already shown that they are not favourably disposed to his nomination.
One of the senators, George Sekibo, a PDP stalwart from Rivers East senatorial district, demonstrated this stance last week Wednesday when he read a petition against Amaechi accusing him of corruption and fraud during his tenure in Rivers state. In order to prevent the successful screening of Amaechi, the PDP chieftain rose up to submit the petition supposedly written by people from his senatorial district. Senators elected on the platform of Amaechi’s ruling party, shouted him down and the Senate became rowdy until the Senate Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye, calmed frayed nerves.
A is for Antagonism
Vendetta appears thick in the air as the screening of the nominees begins this week. Although the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has assured Nigerians that there won’t be any witch-hunting in the course of the screening exercise, coupled with reports that Amaechi is lobbying the senators, it may be difficult to pacify senators that have personal axe to grind with some of the nominees like Amaechiwho has inadvertently created so many enemies for himself in the PDP camp.
For instance, he fought the President Goodluck Jonathan adminstration to a standstill when the Nigeria Governors Forum chairmanship election was rigged in favour of the former Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state. Also, it would be an understatement to say Amaechi was one of those who were instrumental to the defeat of Jonathan in the 28 March presidential election, having been the director general of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation. It is for this singular reason that he is a “marked man” among some of the PDP senators.
Right now, Amaechi, easily the most villified of all the nominees, is having a running battle with his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, who is digging in by the day. Soon after he was sworn in as governor on 29 May this year, Wike set up a panel to probe Amaechi’s government. And as soon as Amaechi’s name appeared on the ministerial list, the probe panel released its scathing report indicting Amaechi of alleged fraudulent sale of the state’s prized assets. The timing has been circmspect as many believe the vindictive report is aimed at stopping Amaeching from being confirmed as minister.
“Buhari’s decision to put Amaechi on the list is well-informed”
Rather than jump the gun by pronouncing some of the nominees guilty on the basis of the petitions written against them, senators should allow those accused of fraud and corruption to be tried by courts of competent jurisdiction. The trial by proxy should not suffice.
For them to have been nominated, Buhari must have seen some qualities in them. Besides, security agencies screened all the nominees before their names were forwarded to the Senate.
For Amaechi, perhaps, this battle, like other bruising political battles he had fought and won in the past, shall also be won. Amaechi has been fighting injustice against him for quite some time now. In 2007, he was the only one who did not contest the governorship election but was sworn in as the governor! The Supreme Court handed him the governorship seat on a platter after his former party, the PDP, fraudulently substituted his name with that of Celestine Omehia after the party’s primary. Omehia contested the election and won. But Amaechi challenged the injustice all the way to the Supreme Court. Omehia was thrown out, andAmaechi took over and ruled Rivers state for eight years. This cat with nine lives has another hurdle before him. Will he survive the Senate screening?
Mr Ocheyenor wrote from Lagos.
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