Senate gets ministerial nominees list this week – Lawan

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan disclosed on Wednesday that the Senate will before the end of this week, receive the list of ministerial nominees from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Lawan said this while responding to a point of Order raised by Senator Albert Bassey Akpan (PDP) Akwa Ibom North East who expressed worries over the delay in the presentation of the list by the Executive to the Legislative arm.

According the President of the Senate, the Executive was working hard to ensure that it makes available to the Senate, the list before the end of this week.

Earlier, Akpan who came under Order 43 said that it was worrisome that the list was not yet made available to the Senate, especially against the backdrop that in the next two weeks, the lawmakers will embark on the traditional two months recess.

According to him, there was the need for the Executive to hasten the process of forwarding to the Senate the Ministerial list in order for their holiday not to be affected.

It would be recalled that the Senate had said on Tuesday that it was not in the position to draw a ministerial list for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking with Journalists, Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs Committee, Senator Adedayo Adedayo, APC, Ekiti South had said, ”That is the prerogative of the executive, we are not going to their job, I’m not going to say anything about that, the senate cannot generate a list of its own.

“It is the prerogative if the President to send the list of his nominees to the Senate and when he does that we will look at and consider it. That is our constitutional mandate but it is not within our power to even advise or anything, so we will wait until the matter is…. I will not say anything more than that.

“I don’t think this matter SHOUKD worry memories any other Nigerian. We are supposed to receive the letter with the list of ministerial nominee transmitted to the Senate. If a thing is not my job why should it worry me. When the list comes to us, NIGERIANS will look at the time the list arrives here and the time the list is approved.

“Let me tell you one thing, the executive are aware and most Nigerians are aware of the timetable of the Senate. “There is a particular time of the year, when the Senate will go on a recess that being in mind, they should be mindful of when to carry out this constitutional responsibility because the Senate itself has its own timetable.

“Like the judiciary is right now on recess, a lot of judges have travelled out except that handling lection matter. So in the same way, there will be a time, very soon when the senate will go in recess.

“I think the Executive are mindful of this to know the timetable if the Senate and it is left to them to adjust to that timetable or not. When the matter comes before us, we will look at it and carry out our constitutional responsibility.”