For people reportedly jubilating because Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi's recent screening in the hollowed chambers of the Senate finally came to pass should have a rethink.
The Ikwerre born politician, former legislator and governor of the oil rich Rivers State had been having a running cold war with the senate as the Senate's Committee on Ethics and Privileges had initially insisted that Amaechi had petitions against him from his state hence he couldn't be screened until he had appeared before them.
The former APC director general, Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2015 presidential election could not come before the Ethic committee because an interlocutory order from the court had barred him hence his screening being postponed several times.
He, however, was screened today, 22nd of October 2015 after the exercise had been postponed twice to accommodate the ethics committee's submission of their findings. The house was in mild roar at the beginning of the session when the minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio said the PDP had no questions for the nominee. The Majority leader, Ali Ndume also corroborated same statement as they tried to make the Rivers State Ministerial nominee 'take a bow and go'.
Other senators at that point quickly kicked against it, disagreeing loudly and insisting that they would ask him questions irrespective of what PDP or APC caucuses had decided. The Senate President waded in and ruled that the nominee be given the same treatment given to other former legislators since Governor Amaechi was also a former legislator but the senators insisted on asking questions.
Series of questions were asked and he was later allowed to take a bow and leave.
However, it is not yet uhuru as feelers reaching us insists that the house is still divided about Amaechi's ministerial candidacy. Some PDP and APC senators don't want Amaechi to become a Minister and they are bent on making sure that at the final clearance where the house will finally decide with a voice vote, they will overwhelmingly vote 'NAY' to quash his ambition to become a Minister.
If the senators hadn't screened him, the president could instate him as a minister after 21 working days. So to avoid the back door entering into state house, they decided to screen him but not clear him. The coming days are going to be quite interesting as this is not unconnected to the Senate President's CCT debacle and the usage of Amaechi's screening as a leverage for political solution.
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