The Senate said yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to make a list of ministerial nominees available to it.
Chairman, Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, who disclosed this, said that they were anxious to receive and work on the ministerial nominees list.
Adeyeye spoke 24 hours after President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said the Upper Chamber would receive the list from the executive, this week.
A national newspaper (not Vanguard) reported on Thursday that the Senate President had received the list from President Buhari.
Principal officers of the Senate were at a dinner with the president at press time. Yesterday, another of nominees signed by a member of President Buhari’s campaign were in circulation on the social media.
Adeyeye, who was reacting to a question on whether Buhari had sent the list to the Senate, said Nigerians should not be worried about the awaited ministerial nominee list.
He said: “It is not a matter of being hopeful, but one that solely depends on President Buhari, who has been empowered by the constitution to undertake this duty.
“We cannot keep the list, if the list is transmitted to the President of the Senate, it will be read immediately. We are too eager. As I have told you, we want to hit the ground running.
“This is an activity that is not within our control and there is nothing we can do about it. As I said here two or three days ago, this matter is not within the control of the Senate.”
Meanwhile, the Presidency last night distanced itself from the purported ministerial list being circulated in social media.
“We cannot generate the list on our own, the constitution does not permit us to do that. The constitution has assigned responsibility to various parts of government, and it is the prerogative of the executive to nominate ministers which will then be confirmed by the Senate.
“Until that duty is undertaken by the executive, there is nothing we can do about that. Whether we are hopeful or not is neither here nor there.”
Meanwhile, the Presidency last night distanced itself from the purported ministerial list being circulated in social media.
The Presidency also said any ministerial list must follow the formal communication pattern.
There have been multiple lists in circulation containing the names of purported ministerial nominees by the President.
But a Presidency source who pleaded anonymity, said he was only aware of the request for approval of Special Advisers from President Buhari to the National Assembly.
“What I know that has been sent was the President’s request for approval of his special advisers.’
VANGUARD
