The Sun reports that there was a mild drama yesterday during Senate plenary when Senators from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to support the approval of the votes and proceedings of last week Thursday. PDP Senators had walked out of the Chamber when their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts subdued them to confirm a former governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, as a minister.
Amaechi was accused by the state government of mismanagement of the resources when he was governor. On that basis, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions investigated the claim and recommended that the Senate should not confirm him (Amaechi) since the matter was still pending in court.
After intense dialogue, persuasion and disagreements, the ruling party confirmed him, demonstrating that in democracy, minority will always have their say and the majority will have their way. However, at the plenary yesterday, the opposition PDP lawmakers brought back to memory, what transpired last Thursday, by refusing to approve the chamber’s last votes and proceedings.
At the resumption of plenary, Senate President Bukola Saraki called Senator Isiaka Adeleke to move a motion for the adoption of the votes and proceedings of the Senate of October 29. After Adeleke moved the motion, Saraki, in line with parliamentary practice, asked Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta North) to second the motion, but he declined to perform the legislative function. Explaining why he refused to second the motion, Nwaoboshi said:
“My President, I will not be able to second the motion because I was not at the plenary to know what was done.”
Saraki called on Senator Ibrahim Gobir to second the motion, which he did promptly. Then Saraki put the question for the approval of the votes and proceedings. While the members of the APC shouted a resounding ‘aye’, the angry PDP senators shouted a reverberating ‘nay’, to express their disapproval of the confirmation of Amaechi. The PDP caucus met thereafter.