Senate gears up for ministerial screening, awaits list this week

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Senate gears up for ministerial screening, awaits list this week

With five days to the end of the 60-day constitutional window, the Senate is expected to receive the list of the President’s ministerial nominees this week.

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday said,

“Ministers’ List will be out this week. Let’s wait till the names are out.”

The 1999 Constitution stipulates that the President and governors must submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or the respective state Houses of Assembly.

Tinubu, who was sworn in as President on May 29, has to submit his ministerial list to the Senate before July 29 as mandated by law.

The silence over the ministerial list has generated concerns amongst Nigerians.

But speaking to The PUNCH in Abuja on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Senate, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), said the upper chamber has enough time to screen the ministerial nominees within the stipulated time.

He said, “I have reiterated severally and for the umpteenth time that there is still enough time to receive and screen the ministerial nominees. We know that Nigerians are eager to behold the executive team that will breathe oxygen into our economy and make life more abundant for us all. We are unarguably within the constitutional cover. The Senate shall surely do the needful and won’t disappoint Nigerians.”

Sunday PUNCH had earlier reported that the names of the ministerial nominees will likely be unveiled by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary this week.