Fireworks begin over ministerial screening

• Why exercise should be suspended, by CLO
• Tinubu, Saraki deny anti-Buhari plot
• Lagos ex-gov doubts Saraki’s loyalty
• Senate president backs Lai Mohammed
• Amaechi lobbies Senators

A season of high political drama may debut in the nation’s corridors of power tomorrow as the Senate begins screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.

As soon as President Buhari communicated the list of the would- be-ministers to the Senate recently, various stakeholders have been intriguing for their own gains.

Former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has described an alleged conspiracy between him and the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, against President Buhari, as an execrable lie.

He pledged to remain true to the vision and programmes of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigeria project.

He also denied his alleged surveillance by security agents as he described the allegation published in a newspaper as a sad excursion from journalism into the realm of gothic tales and political slander.

In a statement, Tinubu’s Chief of Staff and Special Adviser Media, Sunday Dare, said the recent story titled: ‘Asiwaju Tinubu has conspired with Senator Saraki to thwart the Buhari administration’, portrays one that has descended to the lowest and darkest rungs of journalism ethics. Their claim is that Tinubu has joined with Saraki to scuttle the President’s ministerial nominations.

“Their wrong is a great wrong. Like the rest of us, Tinubu waited for the President to select his cabinet. The majority of the selections have been made. There is nothing to do but congratulate the appointees and pray for them.” The statement further reads that Tinubu would not toss aside a lifetime’s labour because of an alleged slight and certainly would not join with Saraki in stymying this government, which may just be the nation’s last best chance to salvage itself.”


Insisting that the alleged conspiracy is a figment of their imagination, he said: “It takes at least two people to make a conspiracy. There has been no substantive communication between Tinubu and Saraki since the latter decided to foul the integrity of the Senate and the party. To be truthful, I don’t think Saraki would care to hear what Tinubu would have to say to him. He would admonish the Senator to treat the nomination process with dispatch, justice, fairness, transparency, and most of all with the greatest patriotism.


“He would counsel Saraki to shelve his personal situation for the moment to concentrate on the people’s business. It would be a grave mistake and abuse of office for Saraki to directly or indirectly inject his personal matter into the approval process. Saraki should not link the approval of a single minister to his desire for extrajudicial treatment of his issues. 


“If adhering to the decisions of the party, supporting the government’s progressive plank and working for the good of the people qualifies Tinubu for surveillance, then he will accept that. However, we know that any such surveillance is not from state security organs. Such activity would come from the insecurity agencies of the PDP and its mercenary allies elsewhere who would seek to fragment the true core of the APC so that they may scuttle the Buhari reform programme and return the nation to the misgovernance of the past.”

In a reaction yesterday, Saraki in a statement, said: “I saw the statement said to have been issued by Senator Bola Tinubu over a story published by a newspaper. I have decided not to join issues with Tinubu. However, I know that most Nigerians are aware that there has been no meeting or communication between me and Tinubu since I was elected Senate President. Therefore, I do not see any basis for a newspaper to report that we are both plotting to oppose the President.

“I recognise Tinubu as one of the leaders of the APC who contributed so much to the victory of the party in the last election. Some other people also contributed and I believe the collective efforts made it possible for the first time in the history of our party for an opposition party to win the general elections.

“Let me state clearly that I remain a committed member of the APC and will do all in my power to ensure the party fulfill its promises to bring positive changes into the country.”

Meanwhile, the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) has called for suspension of screening and confirmation of the ministerial nominees pending when the nomination covers the 36 states of the country “in line with the provisions of the constitution.”

But the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) appealed to the lawmakers to speed up the process in the interest of Nigerians.

The developments came as Saraki, was said to have endorsed the nomination of APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, as a minister. And former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has met with some Senators in his quest to get his nomination confirmed this week.

In a statement, CNPP cautioned against rancorous screening and confirmation, saying it will neither appease nor reassure the good people of Nigeria who are anxiously waiting for the progressive change they voted for.

The statement issued by CNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, urged the lawmakers to handle the task with a high sense of responsibility and understanding “so as to engender cordial bi-partisan relationship between the executive and the legislature and ensure good governance.” The group urged the lawmakers not to be persuaded by those agitating against the approval of some of the nominees in the interest of the nation.

In a petition sent to Saraki, CLO said the provisions of Sections 14 (3), 15 (2) and 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the Affirmative Action on Women and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) must be met before any debate, screening or approval of the ministerial list could be effected.

The petition signed by the CLO’s Executive Director, Ibuchukwu Ezike, added: “We reason that it might be dangerous for the Senate to consider the list sent in batches as Mr. President may decide to neglect the remaining 15 states, ignore all these categories of the population, and make do with 21 ministers in total breach of the constitution and aforementioned human rights instruments. Our fear is inspired by Mr. President’s desire to prune the ministries without amendment of the Constitution, especially as he explained in his October 1, 2015, broadcast.

“Sir, our understanding of this statement is that Mr. President has finalised on the number of ministries his government wants to run and ministers who would run them before sending his nomination list to the Senate. We also make bold to say that what has delayed the appointment of ministers for four months was not the claim that Mr. President was diligently looking for competent, honest and hardworking Nigerians to appoint as no new names were included on the list but politicians who are well known to him. The truth was that he was working on the number of ministries to work with in total disrespect to the National Assembly and the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. Is it not possible that Mr. President may decide to get his wish achieved through the back door?

“Never in the history of democratic practice in our country has such list been sent to the Senate in batches, especially when Mr. President had four good months since he assumed office as the President of the Federation to screen and nominate his, at least, 36 wise men and women.
“The nationwide protests that have followed the nomination indicate that there may be breaches in the nomination process and, therefore, there is the need for the Senators to fully listen to all protesters in order to ensure that justice and due process are followed by Mr. President and the Senate in the choice of the ministers.”

Lai Mohammed, who has been nominated to represent Kwara State on the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was said to have secured the blessing of Saraki after fulfilling ‎two conditions dictated by the Senate president.

The rapprochement was said to have been struck between Saraki and Lai Mohammed by the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

It was learnt that after expressing initial reservation at the emergence of Mohammed as the Kwara State nominee, Saraki told his visitors that he would only support the nomination if Mohammed agreed to visit the Emir of Ilorin and seek his blessing in addition to paying another visit to some elders in Kwara South Senatorial District represented in the Senate by Senator Rafiu Ibrahim.

The APC spokesman was said to have fulfilled the conditions last Saturday.

On Amaechi’s meeting with Senators, it was learnt that many of the lawmakers from the Northern part of the country, particularly those from APC had given him their word. He was said to have been advised to intensify efforts in reaching out to Senators from the South-South where he has been facing major opposition.