There are very strong feelers that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency are struggling to manage an unfolding series of political turmoil billowing in virtually all the states regarding ministerial nominees, with sources telling Huhuonline.com that President Muhammadu Buhari is now considering deferring any ministerial nominee from states where the struggle to produce ministers has become contentious and difficult to resolve until a later date.
“My brother, the crisis is much this time around, particularly as party leaders have become confident that the President is not a lone stakeholder in the nomination exercise. So, in virtually all the states, particularly those we did not produce governors, the APC is not having it easy at all,” one lawmaker confided to Huhuonline.com.
The lawmaker disclosed that, “in places like the South-south geo-political zone, very uncompromising leaders, have emerged who have vowed that it is either their way or the highway, and nothing else.”
Faced with these scenarios, the lawmaker contended, “the President would have no choice but to delay submission of the list to the Senate,” adding that the possible intervention of the President in such areas might lead to the submission of partial ministerial list, or even outright delay of its submission.
Huhuonline.com understands that President Buhari was expected to submit his cabinet list within the next two weeks, but for the infighting among stakeholders in some states. The Ahmad Lawan-led 9th Senate had been expected, upon resumption from its two-week recess on July 2, to begin a speedy screening and confirmation of nominees, but the presidency is yet to finalize the list of ministers.
A ranking senator who volunteered information told Huhuonline.com that at the moment, there was nothing on ground regarding the list of persons to be confirmed as ministers. He was, however, optimistic that within the period of the Senate’s recess, President Buhari would turn in the list.
Another lawmaker, a former House of Representatives member, who got elected into the Senate in the February 23, 2019 election said although the President is still within reasonable time if he submits the list before July, expectations are that he would make up for the time lost during his first term when he delayed the ministerial list for six months. He further noted that it is particularly very strategic and helpful for the President to meet the July deadline because the Senate might proceed on its annual end of session holiday at the end of that month to reconvene in September.
“The President should take advantage of the three weeks that the Senate would be in session between July 2 and 31 by ensuring that the ministerial list is ready before we resume from this two-week recess, so that we simply screen and confirm the nominees within the three weeks that we are going to sit, and thereafter proceed on end of session recess.” According to him, “anything short of that would amount to dragging Nigeria back to the delay experienced four years ago because the Senate won’t resume until around the third week of September.”
The Senate proceeded on a two-week recess last Thursday to allow management of the National Assembly furnish lawmaker’s offices and perfect arrangements for seamless takeoff of the business of lawmaking. At the moment, the structure housing offices of the 109 lawmakers is virtually empty because all office equipment and furniture pieces were sold to the members of the 8th Senate upon the completion of their tenure. It was learnt that the cost of the old items including television sets, sets of chairs, air-conditioners, and refrigerators would be calculated and deducted from the severance allowance of each of the outgoing senators.
