Senator Shehu Sani

Sen. Shehu Sani (APC – Kaduna Central), on Sunday said that Senate’s clearance of former Rivers Goivernor, Rotimi Amaechi as minister was not a tacit endorsement of corruption.

Sani spoke during a visit to ailing Abdulkareem Albashir, a veteran journalist and columnist, during which he offered to settle his medical bills and an artificial limb.

According to him, the accusations of corruption against the former governor 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 interest of someone in our party and the opposition has the right to object to whoever 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 comfirmation.

“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.

“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.”