The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is expected to announce the names of the ministerial nominees during the plenary session this week.
Plenaries at the National Assembly are scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in both chambers.
There is significant concern regarding the prolonged delay in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet formation, which has persisted for two months since his inauguration.
As per a recent amendment to the 1999 Constitution, the President and governors are required to provide the names of individuals nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of assuming office. These nominations must then be confirmed by the Senate or the respective state Houses of Assembly.
This suggests that it is necessary for Tinubu and 28 governors to provide the lists of nominees for ministers and commissioners prior to the conclusion of the current month.
This week marks the final period prior to the deadline for the President to officially announce his selections for ministerial positions.
According to sources within the National Assembly, it has been reported that the letter containing the names of the nominees was received by the Senate President during the previous week.
The sources, however, noted that some last-minute adjustments were made to the list, hence the reason for the delay in reading out the names.
One of the sources said, “The Senate President got the ministerial list last week, but it was not yet time for him to unveil it, hence the reason it was kept.
“Most importantly, there were some last-minute adjustments. The Senate President had a meeting with President Tinubu over the list last week.”
Another source stated that the administration had been making every effort to prevent criticism; as a result, the list could not be postponed.
The source said, “The names of the ministerial nominees will be out this week.
“The Asiwaju-led administration has been trying its best to avoid a backlash even though it is unavoidable. The names will be unveiled this week; that is all I can say.”
According to another source, the names will be released this week, shocking a lot of people.
A lot of Nigerians would be shocked by the details on the list, but the insider said the delay was purposeful due to intensive lobbying.
The source added, “The list of the nominees will be unveiled this week and I can tell you that the details will shock a lot of Nigerians. I mean a lot of big politicians will be thrown aback.
“This will be the real Asiwaju Tsunami.”
Concerning how the screening of the nominees will go, a ranking senator noted that there was not too much to the screening of ministers as it could be done within three days or one week.
The source stated, “There is no big deal about the screening of ministers. The ministers can be screened in three days or one week.
“Even if we have to call special or emergency sessions after the plenary has closed for this session, we will.
“But I know the list will be read out this week.”
