APC ‘duty-bound’ to protect Amaechi, says Sani

Shehu Sani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Kaduna central at the senate, says that although his party is duty-bound to protect Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state, his confirmation as minister could not be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of corruption.

According to NAN, Sani spoke on Sunday during a visit to ailing Abdulkareem Albashir, a veteran journalist and columnist, during which he offered to settle his medical bills and fund the acquisition of an artificial limb.

He said the accusation of corruption against Amaechi remains a mere allegation until a court of competent jurisdiction pronounces him guilty.

“The APC position on corrupt allegation is that it is still an allegation and the issue is still in court, which the senate committee should not have entertained in the first place.

“In the general sense, we are duty bound to protect the intrest of someone in our party and the opposition has the right to object to who ever is presented.

“In the broader sense, Nigerians and posterity will judge whether our approval of Amaechi was a tacit endorsement of corruption because the issues raised were not enough to stop his confirmation.

“But we must also understand that even if you are made a minister and you get convicted, the law will take its course. Certainly, if he is found guilty, he would not continue to serve as minister under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”

On the walkout by the opposition senators under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sani said that their action was part of democracy.

“I think nothing is wrong with that, I see the walkout by the PDP senators as history repeating itself,” he said.

“Opposition senators walked out when Mr Misuliu Obanikori was brought in for screening for ministerial position by the previous administration. You remember that their protest did not stop the ruling party from having its way.”

Amaechi – accused by his Rivers state successor, Nyesosm Wike, of corruptly enriching himself while in office – faced a litany of obstacles after his ministerial nomination by the president, but he was eventually confirmed by the senate on Thursday, much to the chagrin of opposing PDP lawmakers