Despite walk out, ‘juicy’ committees still cage PDP senators

Despite the refusal of Bukola Saraki, Senate president, to succumb to the request of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senators that former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, should not be confirmed as a minister, the PDP lawmakers may still be ‘loyal’ to the number three citizen.

This follows uncertainty over the constitution of standing committees. Findings by BDSUNDAY revealed that although PDP lawmakers staged a walkout to protest Amaechi’s confirmation as a minister, but because they are still optimistic of chairing juicy committees, their ‘loyalty’ may still be intact for Saraki, pending the constitution of committees.

Investigations showed that the decision of Saraki to postpone the announcement of standing committees earlier scheduled for Thursday may not be unconnected with the drama that followed the Rivers State nominee’s confirmation.

At the confirmation exercise, a sharp disagreement had ensued between APC and PDP senators over the report of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which recommended that he shouldn’t be confirmed until the lawsuits are dispensed with at law courts.

Saraki had recently increased the Standing Committees from 57 to 65. So far, only five out of the six special committees in addition to ad-hoc committees had been set up.

The special committees so far constituted include: Rules and Business; Selection; Services; Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions and Public Account Committee. Only the Committee on National Security and Intelligence is yet to be constituted.

It was gathered that the Senate President is aiming at rewarding senators loyal to him with “juicy” committees, hence, the addition of eight committees. The upper legislative chamber currently comprises 59 APC members and 49 PDP members.

With the Senate President riding on the crest of PDP senators to assume the position, observers say losing the support of opposition legislators could spell doom for the number three citizen, considering the tussle between him and the Presidency and APC.

Addressing journalists immediately after they staged a walkout, Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio said it was unfortunate that Saraki toed the path of APC senators, adding that staging a walkout was their only way of expressing their dissatisfaction with the confirmation process.

He, however, played down the issue of PDP senators turning their back against the Senate President, explaining that since he was elected unopposed, the issue of supporting him does not arise.

“The Senate president was returned unopposed. There was no voting so you cannot say that anybody supported the president. He was a sole nominee, nobody contested against him and there was none of us here that indicated interest in contesting for the position of Senate President. So, when the Clerk of the National Assembly invited people to bring nomination for the post of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki was the sole candidate so he was returned unopposed so you cannot say anybody supported him”, he affirmed.

However, a new twist emerged on Friday when the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by the Senate President, challenging his trial on 13 counts of false assets declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The trial has been scheduled for November 5 and 6.

Although Nigerians have expressed divergent opinions on the loyalty of PDP senators to Saraki, following the controversy that trailed Amaechi’s confirmation, some PDP senators have restated their confidence in Saraki despite the Court of Appeal judgment.
A PDP senator, Gershom Bassey, posited that regardless of the disagreements at the Senate, there was no rift between APC and PDP senators.

According to him, senators may disagree on issues; such disagreements were healthy for legislation, adding that the PDP senators were still confident in him.

He explained that the bone of contention was not the petition against Amaechi but the move by APC senators to disobey its own rules and confirm the nominee without considering the report.

His words: “There is still the presumption of innocence and that also covers the Senate President. We have had two votes of confidence on him and they stand. He has the confidence of the Senate and there is absolutely no problem.
“The Senate is a vibrant Senate that has a lot of vibrant debates; the Senate is not a football team that we all have to play in the same direction. In the Senate we can play in different directions and still score the goal. I think the more debate there is in the Senate the more vibrant it is. At the end of the day we are all friends, we will settle our quarrels and move forward.

“We must continue to discus different points of view, it is important that we have different point of view but that does not mean we are enemies”.

Another PDP senator, George Sekibo said that the opposition senators will not go back on their decision and rejection on the matter.

Sekibo, who presented the petition against Amaechi said that the PDP senators, explained that PDP senators were still in support of the Senate leadership.

“The Code of Conduct case is against an individual and not APC. We gave him our support in the spirit of esprit de corps. As far as senators are concerned what happened yesterday has passed, we are not working for political parties but for the entire nation. When the time comes to express the wish of your people you do that and that is what we did yesterday. We didn’t get it so we let it go so the country can move forward, we cannot hold the country to ransom,” he said.

Already, PDP national caucus has also thrown its weight behind its senators for staging a walkout at the confirmation. Interestingly, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who was the only PDP lawmaker that failed to join the walkout for being a Presiding Officer, was among dignitaries at the meeting.