Senate May Likely Receive Ministerial List Any Moment Today

Barring any last-minute change of decision, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today send the list of his ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation, Daily Trust gathered last night.

Sources at the Presidency and the Senate told this paper that the list was ready for submission to the upper legislative chamber.

A source in the Villa said: “The list is ready and the president has informed the Senate of his readiness to submit the list on Wednesday. The Senate president is expected to read it immediately when he gets it.

“The necessary security checks and clearance have been concluded, thus the decision of the president to send it to the parliament. Either today or tomorrow, the list would get to the Senate.”

A ranking lawmaker said the Senate is expecting the list either today or tomorrow.

“We’ve been told that the list will come to us either today or tomorrow. We’re waiting and ready for the screening exercise. We’ll conclude the exercise before going on our annual recess which will last for about two months,” he said.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had, on March 17, signed a constitutional amendment bill mandating the president and governors to 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 State House of Assembly.

President Tinubu was inaugurated on May 29. So far, he has spent 51 days as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Based on the law, Tinubu has up to July 27 to submit the list.