Buhari’s Aide Defends Amaechi Screening
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has defended the Senate’s screening of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, without first considering the report of the petition of corruption leveled against the nominee.
Enang in a statement on Monday in Abuja argued that the senate was within its rights to regulate itself and its activities.
He said: “they (senators) are within their constitutional right to regulate their own proceedings.
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“The constitution authorises the senate and House of Representatives and every legislative House to regulate its own proceedings, including managing matters that are brought before them.
“Therefore, what the senate did is domestic to the Senate and I am not in a position to speak about it; they are within their constitutional right.’’
The SSA commended the senate and its leadership for the `matured’ way it carried out the screening of ministerial nominees.
He said that contrary to the expectations of many Nigerians that the process would be characterised by rancor and personal attacks, the Senate had disappointed pessimists by undertaking smooth screening.
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“Let me express our very sincere appreciation to his Excellency, the President of the Senate, the Deputy President of the Senate, APC and PDP leadership for the painstaking process of screening the nominees.
“They have shown the candor and real characteristics nature of matured senate.
“I want to thank them in words that I cannot describe; we are very grateful to them and we are confident that the few that are remaining will be concluded in no distant future.
“Nigerians thought that the process will be very tumultuous and rancorous, but the senators in the course of their questions showed their intellect and their appreciation of national issues,’’ he said.
