Senator Sekibo Rejects Amaechi's Nomination As Minister, Submits Petition To Senate

SAN FRANCISCO, October 07, (THEWILL) – Senator Thompson Sekibo (PDP, Rivers East) on Wednesday rejected the nomination of the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, as a minister of the federal republic.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, he said that there was no rationale for the nomination of the former governor alleging that he is corrupt.

Sekibo said that there had been petitions against Amaechi to President Muhammadu Buhari as well as a court case against him.

He argued that the president should have waited for the conclusion of the issues concerning Amaechi before nominating him.

According to him, although the former governor is qualified to be a minister, investigations on him should be concluded before his nomination.

“The Integrity Group went into a research and discovered that over N70 billion was transferred from hard currency accounts to places outside the country. A petition on this was written to the President,” he said.

Sekibo urged the president to choose another ministerial candidate from other APC members in Rivers, saying that he had nothing against them.

The rule of the Senate is that if two senators from a state reject the nomination of a minister from the state, the senate will unanimously reject the person.

The three senators from the state are members of the PDP.

Sekibo had earlier at the senate's proceedings, submitted a petition against Amaechi. The petition was received in spite of shouts by All Progressives Congress (APC) senators that it should be rejected.

NAN.