The Senate has completed screening all the 36 ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari on September 30, 2015, though the lawmakers deferred confirmation of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and 17 others till today.
But senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have maintained their resolve not to participate in the confirmation of Amaechi.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, five more nominees were screened by the legislators: Messrs Okechukwu Eyinna Enelameh (Abia); Anwuka Anthony Gozie (Imo State); Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) and Hajiya Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto).
Earlier, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, who presented petitions to the Senate against the nomination of Aisha Abubakar, withdrew them and made way for her screening by the Senate.
The petitions had queried her qualification to be made a minister, alleging that she is not known to be a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and that she is not known in Sokoto State, among other issues.
The decision to adjourn the Senate before the confirmation of nominees was unusual considering that in the past, confirmation was done immediately the screening process was completed.
That was how the Senate had screened and confirmed the first set of 18 nominees earlier.
Soon after Senate President Bukola Saraki adjourned sitting, the PDP caucus in the Senate went into a closed-door meeting.
The caucus on Tuesday refused to participate in the screening of Amaechi in protest against the fact that the report of the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee on allegations of fraud against him was not considered before his screening began.
During the brief meeting, the senators decided that they would maintain that position in Thursday’s confirmation exercise.
-Leadership