It was a scene of ‘take a bow and go’ on Wednesday for former minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Senators George Akume and Godswill Akpabio (Benue and Abia respectively) as the Senate gave them soft-landing.
Amaechi who is also former Rivers State Governor however caused confusion on the floor of the Senate during the ministerial screening.
After his introduction, there was bickering among the Senators on whether the former Minister should be allowed to take a bow and leave or entertain questions from the lawmakers.
While some of the lawmakers objected to the motion of him taking a bow, some others saw it as a perfect decision by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan on the ground that he (Amaechi) was a former lawmaker.
Addressing the House, Lawan said, “I think the gesture should be extended to all lawmakers from the State Houses of Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“We are not doing this for him; we are not doing him a favour. We had even discussed this before he came in. He had served as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years. And I think he should take a bow.”
In the same vein, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe said Amaechi should take a bow on the ground that he “was a Speaker of the House of Assembly for eight years under the Peoples Democratic Party.
“He was a Governor for eight years on the platform of the PDP and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on the PDP platform. The PDP DNA runs in him.”
After addressing the house again, the Senate President asked Amaechi to take a bow amid objection from some lawmakers.
On his part, former lawmaker representing Akwa Ibom North at the red chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio, responded to the jibe thrown at him by Senator Dino Melaye, when he (Akpabio) lost his election to return to the Senate saying “we are meeting at the Senate again.”
The lawmaker, representing Kogi West senatorial district had mocked Akpabio, saying that they will now be meeting on the streets of Abuja after the Ikot Ekpene-born politician lost his senate seat to Senator Christopher Stephen Ekpenyong.
Akpabio, was one of the prospective Ministers who appeared before the Senate on Wednesday for screening and standing before his former colleagues, the former lawmaker reminded the Senators, how someone in their midst, whom he described as “one of my younger brothers’ told him that they will now be meeting on the streets of Abuja and no more at the Senate chambers.
He said, “It’s a rare privilege to stand here before you my colleagues. I remember when one of my younger brothers here told me that we’ll now be meeting on the streets Abuja. But His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari has made it possible for me to come here and stand before you.”
