The Senate has given President Muhammadu Buhari till Friday to submit the list of Ministerial nominees for screening, failure of which the Red Chamber will proceed on its two-month annual recess.
In line with its annual calendar, the National Assembly is meant to go on its annual recess on July 26 and resume on September 26.
Buhari, who won election in February and was sworn in on May 29, has continued to delay the submission of the Ministerial list, arguing that he will need to take his time to appoint the people he knows.
The Chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, in an interview said that the Red Chamber will proceed on its annual two-month recess this week if the Senate did not get the Ministerial list by Friday.
He said: “If the list does not come before Friday, the Senate will proceed on its annual recess. We are not giving the President any ultimatum. The schedule of the Senate will go ahead if the Senate does not receive the list. The list is the only thing that can hold us back.”
Adeyeye noted that the President is at liberty to send the list whenever he pleased and that the Senate also has a duty to consider it in the overriding national interest.
He added: “However, any time they submit the list, we will consider it. It is not our responsibility to put pressure on the President. We can be recalled whenever the list is submitted even if we are already on recess, in the overriding national interest.’’
Corroborating this position, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, also disclosed that the Senate will go on its annual recess on schedule.
When asked him if the Senate will still postpone its annual recess despite the fact that the President has not submitted the Ministerial nominees’ list.
Abaribe said: “The Senate will keep to its schedule.”
[…] The senate, which will be proceeding on a two-month recess on Thursday, is expected to screen the nominees. It will be recalled the senate had given few days for president make the list available for their screening. […]