Buhari may send ministerial list to Senate in July

If the ministerial list is not ready before the National Assembly goes on recess in July, Nigerians may have to wait till end of September to know Buhari's ministers.

Almost a month after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in for second term, he hasn’t sent his ministerial to the Senate, but there are indications that the list would be ready by July.

According to Punch, the ministerial list may soon be ready and the president would send it to the Senate in July for consideration and confirmation.

A former minister who spoke to the newspaper on the matter said he believes President Buhari will avoid his first tenure mistake when he waited for six months to come up with the list.

The minister whose name was not mentioned also said the president is aware that members of the Senate would resume from their break in July 2, 2019, before they go on another two-month recess in July 26, 2019.

Nigerian Senate will go on a two-month break starting from July 26, 2019. [Twitter/NGRSenate] Pulse Nigeria

He said, “We have the rumour that the President might submit the names of the new ministers to the Senate early next month.

“I think he is aware that the Senate will embark on another round of recess before the end of July. So, he will have to send the list to the senators as soon as they return on July 2.

“Though our party, the All Progressives Congress, controls the National Assembly, I don’t think it will be cost-effective to summon the senators for the ministerial clearance after they might have gone on another break.”

Asked if the presidency has contacted him to resubmit his curriculum vitae to be reappointed, the minister answered in the negative saying “the President is the only person who knows who will return.”

Meanwhile, the presidency has refused to comment on when the ministerial list would be sent to the Senate before the lawmakers go on a two-month break in July.

The National Assembly is waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari's ministerial list. (Guardian) Pulse Nigeria

Asked if the president would send the list to the senate before he lawmakers go on break, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, (Senate), Senator Ita Enang only said, ‘thank you for the question. Thank you so much.”

The National Assembly members will resume from a short break on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, before going on another three weeks after.

The implication of this, however, is that if the president fails to send the list before July 2, the nation may have to wait till the end of September to know President Buhari’s next ministers.

However, a senator, who spoke on a condition of anonymity told Punch that the Senate may cut short its recess and reconvene to attend to the list anytime it’s sent.

“There is really no cause for alarm because we can always attend to the list anytime it is sent to us.

“I do not really think we should mount pressure on the President to hurriedly put up his cabinet that would not perform. The secret police would have to do their work.

“We can always wait for the due process to be concluded. We can screen the nominees anytime their names are sent to us, even if we are on vacation. We can reconvene in the national interest.”

In 2015, President Buhari waited for six month before he sent his list of cabinet members to the Senate. Now, it’s been 25 days since he was inaugurated for his second term and the Senate is yet to receive the list.