Ime Akpan
The Senate on Wednesday screened 10 of the 43 ministerial nominees submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
Four of the nominees, including three former lawmakers and a serving legislator were simply asked to ‘take a bow and leave’ after they had said a few things about themselves.
The senate president, Mr. Ahmad Lawan had said in the course of the screening that the senate will sustain its standing tradition of asking former senators and House members who are ministerial nominees to take a bow and leave the chamber without entertaining any question.
Those who took the traditional bow and exited included the former governor of Akwa Ibom State (2007-2015) and former senate minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio; former governor of Benue State (1999-2007) and ex-senate minority leader, Senator George Akume, former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly (1999-2003) and senator (2003-2011), Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora.
Also asked to take a bow was Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba, a member of the House of Representatives and a nominee from Imo State.
Nwajiuba who was a House of Representatives member from 1999-2003 won the last election into the House on the platform of the Accord Party (AP) but later decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, there was opposition when Lawan asked the former governor of Rivers State (2007-2015), minister of transportation (2015-2019), Mr. Rotimi Amaechi to ‘take a bow’, on the basis that being a former speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly (1999-2007), he should be protected from questioning.
The representative of Gombe central senatorial zone, Mr. Danjuma Goje who raised an objection noted that the take-a- bow rule does not extend to state lawmakers.
He recalled that he had served as house of assembly member but did not enjoy such privilege when he was nominated as a minister.
Responding, the senate president said even though the rule does not apply to state lawmakers, Amaechi should be extended the courtesy.
