By Sunday Isuwa, Abuja
To beat the deadline, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent the Ministerial list of his cabinet to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
A principal officer of the Senate told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the list has arrived at the Senate adding that the Senate President Godswill Akpabio will make the formal announcement at plenary.
It was gathered that the list is coming on the last day the Senate sits in a week and only hours before the expiration of the 60 days provided by law for the president to send the list of his ministers to the national assembly for screening and confirmation.
Despite speculations, the Senate leader, Bamidele Okpeyemi, on Tuesday, said the long awaited ministerial list of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ready and that it will be presented to the Senate in 48 hours, a limeline that expires today.
Bamidele, a lawyer who served as a legislative aide to Tinubu when he served as Senator, said he spoke with the President who said he needs to be alone because of the crucial decision he has taken concerning the ministerial list.
Nigeria’s Constitution gives the President 60 days to submit a list of his ministers and Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, still have a window till tomorrow for the submission of the list of his ministers.
Section 42 of the 1999 constitution as amended states that “(a) the nomination of any person to the office of a Minister for confirmation by the Senate shall be done within sixty days after the date the President has taken the oath of office;
(b) not less than ten percent of persons appointed as Ministers shall be women:
Provided that the President may appoint a Minister at any other time during his tenure and such appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
The constitution also adds that the president shall appoint at least a minister from each of the 36 states of the federation including the federal capital territory.
But speaking to LEADERSHIP, a principal officer said: “that the list of the ministers is now at the Senate. The president of the Senate will now be the one to announce the official communication between the presidency and the national assembly.”
“So, the list of the ministers is at the national assembly and will soon be announced,” he said.
