The Nigerian Senate, currently on a two-week break is eagerly awaiting the ministerial list from President Muhammadu Buhari. The Ahmad Lawan-led 9th Senate assures there would be a speedy screening and confirmation of persons whose names are expected to have been submitted by the Presidency before the July 2 resumption of the upper legislative chamber.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke to journalists in Abuja said they were expecting President Muhammadu Buhari to submit a list of ministers that will form his federal executive council before or by July 2.
A ranking senator told The Guardian, however, that at the moment, nothing is on the ground regarding the list of persons to be confirmed as ministers but was optimistic that within the two weeks of the Senate recess, the President would have submitted the list.
Another lawmaker who just got elevated from the House of Representatives to the Senate in the February 23, 2019 election said that although the President is still within a reasonable time if he submits the list before July, expectations are that President Muhammadu Buhari would make up for the time lost during his first term when he delayed the ministerial list for six months.
The lawmaker further noted that it is particularly very strategic and helpful for the President to meet the July timeline because the Senate might proceed on its annual end of session holiday at the end of that month to reconvene in September.
The lawmaker further noted that it is particularly very strategic and helpful for the President to meet the July timeline because the Senate might proceed on its annual end of session holiday at the end of that month to reconvene in September.
“I believe that the President should take advantage of the three weeks the Senate would spend in session between July 2 and the end of that month by ensuring that before we come back from this two weeks recess, the ministerial list is ready so that we simply screen and confirm them within the three weeks that we are going to sit before we go on end of session recess,” the lawmaker said.
“Anything short of that would amount to dragging Nigeria back to the delay experienced four years ago because the Senate won’t resume until around the third week of September.”
