Senate to Presidency: we’re waiting for ministerial nominees

The Senate on Tuesday said that it is prepared to receive the list of ministerial nominees from the Presidency any time it is submitted.

The Upper Chamber also said the apparent delay in the submission of the ministerial list by President Muhammadu Buhari will not prevent senators from embarking on their scheduled annual vacation.

The National Assembly is scheduled to commence its annual vacation at the end of July, 2019.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, who addressed reporters in Abuja said that it was not the duty of the Senate to determine when the ministerial list would be submitted to it.

Adeyeye also said the Senate is not constitutionally empowered to request for the list from the Presidency.

The Senate, he said, will wait until the president decides to send the list to it.

Adeyeye said: “That is the prerogative of the Executive. We are not going to help them to do their job. The Senate cannot generate the list of ministers on its own.

“It is the prerogative of the president to send his ministerial nominee list to the Senate and when he does that we will consider it.

“That is our constitutional mandate. It is not even within our powers to even advise. We will wait until the matter is transmitted to us.

“The executives are aware of the timetable of the Senate. There is a particular time the Senate will go on recess.

“That being in mind they should be mindful of when they will carry out this constitutional responsibility.

“That is our constitutional mandate but it is not within our power to even advise or anything, so we will wait until the list is submitted. I will not say anything more than that.

“I don’t think this matter should worry any 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 executives 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 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 those handling election matters.

“So in the same way, there will be a time, very soon when the Senate will go in recess.

“I think the Executives are mindful of this to know the timetable of 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.”