By Nuel Suji, Abuja – The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on Monday called off the consideration of the petitions it received against the nomination of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and Amina Ibrahim Mohammed as ministers.
A Port Harcourt-based group, The Integrity Group, had forwarded a petition to the Senate, alleging financial impropriety against Amaechi with the aim of preventing him from being confirmed as minister.
The petitioners, who sent their petition to the Senate through Senator George Thompson Sekibo and two other Senators, claimed that Amaechi mismanaged N70 billion Rivers State funds during his tenure as governor.
The Senate committee, after a brief meeting with Amaechi at the National Assembly, said the subject matter of the petition which is related to the white paper on a report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry is already a subject of court case.
The former Rivers governor, who appeared before the committee in company with his former Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari and two members of the House of Representatives, told the panelists that the matter upon which the committee invited him is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Committee resolved that the senate would dabble into any matter pending in court as doing so would amount to sub judice.
