Amaechi’s Confirmation: How Great Thy Sins, By Olawale Olaleye

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The power politics apparently stifling the screening of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State as a ministerial nominee is not unexpected, writes Olawale Olaleye

Perhaps, former Rivers State Governor, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will be screened today or at the latest, tomorrow Wednesday, after last week’s drama that characterised the suspension of his screening. Although the screening of another nominee, Mr. Adebayo Shittu was also deferred, making them the only two left in the first batch of the nominees submitted to the senate by President Muhammadu Buhari penultimate week, Amaechi’s case however elicited special interest given the many dynamics and dimensions connected to his nomination and its attendant criticism.

But the drama of his over-hyped case has since left both his close allies and distant admirers to continue to chuckle in incredulity. Yet, whatever is playing out now had been envisaged by some of those close to Amaechi, who had thought that given the roles he single-handedly played in the election of Buhari and the political situation back home in Rivers State, listing Amaechi as a ministerial nominee would be tantamount to putting him in harm’s way.

And this is one political analysis for the taking. Amaechi does not have a senator of his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Therefore, if he appears on the ministerial list and given the confrontation that had resumed between him and his successor, Nyesome Wike, it was commonsense that the governor (although reported to have sworn as having nothing to do with it), would move in with all kinds of subterranean tactics to scuttle his chances.

It was analysed then that one of the things likely to happen was that, first, the governor would orchestrate a protest against his nomination (which was done through the panel set up to probe his government) and in addition, make sure that the senators from the state stand against his nomination, citing all manners of reasons. That had also happened. Lastly, the cocktail of developments was envisaged would make the work of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, a bit difficult, albeit not impossible in making sure his ‘friend’ passed the screening test.

Perhaps, it was one of the reasons these close allies of the former Rivers governor had also believed the speculation that did the rounds then that Amaechi might have been penciled down for the post of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation because it was about the only taking likely to forestall what is eventually playing out against his nomination now.

Amaechi is seen to have stood out in the Buhari election for many reasons. First, two years to his nomination as the presidential standard bearer of APC, Amaechi had made up his mind that the only person to clean the Augean Stable was Buhari and importantly, that he was the only candidate with the kind of clout that could rout the reign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Preceding this conviction was his rivalry with the Jonathan government, which had found in Wike, a willing tool to undermine a government with palpable impunity even they were all members of the same party, the PDP. But because he always follows his conviction, regardless of whose ox is gored, Amaechi damned the consequences and stood his grounds on principle.

There is no doubting the fact that governance suffered in Rivers during the period in review as he confronted deliberate torture from Jonathan’s government with Wike, an appointed junior minister standing on the throat of the governor and government while his assigned ministry of education not only suffered basic administration, much less a creative one; it also battled corruption allegations. But nothing happened – the vagabonds in power protected their own and there was nothing anyone could do because they were in charge.

In making sure Amaechi failed in his primary responsibility, apart from no longer getting any form of support from the government at the centre including oil wells belonging to the state ceded to the president’s home state of Bayelsa, he was also on the edge throughout as efforts to impeach him with less than seven lawmakers were not relaxed at any time. His plight was made worse with dwindling revenue from the federation account. 

These notwithstanding, Amaechi did not budge. He stood his grounds and held on to his beliefs – that there must be a change in government and that the one man, who could do it was Buhari and vowed to give all within his reach to making sure that the dream was reified. And he did. He stood many risks including being branded a betrayer as ethnic politics was prevalent in his South-south part of the country where he hails. Amaechi paid his dues and almost did the supreme price too for change to berth on the horizon.

Unfortunately, he appears less appreciated for all he did either for the state of Rivers or even the enthronement of a new government that ended PDP’s 16 years reign. That he would go through such pain and black-listing over a ministerial appointment is perhaps, the last thing his allies and supporters would envisage.

Politically, there have been many interpretations to Amaechi’s predicament. One, there is the alleged fear by Mr. Wike that should Amaechi secure a ministerial clearance with a good portfolio, there could be payback for what he did while in office as junior minister of education. To that extent, he resent a repeat of his own ugly reign and is doing everything to discredit Amaechi, not minding that the current opposition to his nomination could cost Rivers State a representation in the Buhari cabinet.

The other leg to this is the belief that Wike might be deploying everything at his disposal to delay the screening and clearance of Amaechi pending the outcome of the state’s governorship petition presently at the tribunal – some bait of sort. In other words, if Wike fails at the tribunal, it is believed that he would mobilise and rally the PDP Senators from the South-south and South-east to oppose Amaechi and deny him the opportunity of serving in Buhari’s government.

This is because Rivers is considered key to the PDP and they fear that the APC too wants an oil producing state in the category of Rivers that could help muster support in times of trouble. This is why Wike is believed to have the support and sentiment of his colleagues in the South-east and South-south.

Indeed, this scenario is also plausible following a recent report that the Rivers State senators agreed to support Amaechi only if the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside withdraws his petition in the state’s governorship election, a request that Amaechi and his party would never concede to, no matter what more harm Wike puts in his ministerial way.

It is therefore understandable why the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Senate is seen to be playing some hanky-panky over the report in his custody. Without arguing that similar corruption charges which some other nominees who had been screened and cleared were accused of was what Amaechi too faced in Rivers, the Senate committee has really not come out clean with the report.

This is why it is believed that the Senate Committee is merely trying to play safe between Amaechi and Wike, without offending either of them. And this is evident in the report it turned in. While in its first paragraph, the report was said to have dismissed the matter as subjudice and advised that they stay away from it, it was said to have noted in the second that because it is subjudice, they should suspend the screening of the nominee – sort of acting as a court in a way – pending when the case is decided in court.

The unfortunate thing, however, is that while the committee members have been confidently espousing the first sentence of the report, which says: “It is subjudice”; they have deliberately kept quiet on the second and others, making it seem as if Amaechi’s stalled screening is being orchestrated by some elements other than them, the very reason they are now reportedly divided. Not just that, they have also caused intense confusion and ill-feelings in the public domain too.

The sins of Amaechi are indeed too many. He caused the PDP to lose its place in national politics after 16 years in the saddle. He played a critical role in unseating an incumbent president of his South-south extraction to the regret of his brothers. He undid Bola Tinubu from emerging the vice-president. He exposed the alleged corrupt nature of Wike, whom he (Amaechi) accused of awarding contracts and bolting away with mobilisation, amongst other malfeasance. He showed too early, his support for Buhari, even when many of his very close friends wanted the job of the president too. Truly, how great thy sins, Amaechi!

Curiously, this whole thing is due to end today or tomorrow. But one thing is particularly instructive in all these: Saraki has a critical role to play, not only in ensuring that Amaechi is screened and cleared, but in making sure that he is not unjustly messed up and he knows this for a fact. As the Senate President, although quiet and unassuming, Saraki understands all the underhand intrigues that have so far strewn the Amaechi trajectory and until then, all eyes are fixed on Saraki!