Senate committee plan to petition the ministerial list when it's presented on Tuesday

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who spoke with a Punch correspondent on Friday in Abuja said that the committee would send petitions to protest against President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees on Tuesday once the list is  presented to them.

He said as of Friday, no member of the public had formally submitted any petition against any of the ministerial nominees.

 Sen Anyanwu said

“We have not been receiving petitions from members of the public obviously because the list of ministerial nominees has not been officially unveiled by the senate president.

“I think the petitions will start coming in as from next Tuesday after Nigerians would have known the nominees.”

Some members of Peoples Democratic Party-controlled states are also preparing to oppose the clearance of any All Progressives Congress member that would make the list from their states.

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Some aggrieved members of the APC in some states were also said to have threatened to write petitions against any nominee that is not confirmed by the state chapter of the party as a member.

It was gathered that the Rivers State Government and the state chapter of the party had concluded plans to oppose a former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, if he was nominated.

It was learnt that the state government might instruct senators from the state to oppose Amaechi’s nomination.

But when contacted, the state government and the PDP said they would prefer to keep mum on the report that Amaechi’s name was on the ministerial list.

The Media Assistant to the State Governor, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, said the state government would take a position after the senate must have read out the list on Tuesday.

Nwakaudu explained that everything about the content of the ministerial list would be mere speculation until it is read out by the National Assembly.

He said: “Let the list be read first; if the list comes out, we will formerly take a position,”.

Similarly, the State PDP Deputy Publicity Secretary, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, said the party would be thorough in its position on whether Amaechi’s name appeared on the list or not, but would have to wait until the Senate read out the list on Tuesday.

“When the Senate reads out the list, we will react. We are always thorough when we take a position on an issue. They said it is the Senate that will disclose the content of the list and that will be on Tuesday. We are waiting for them to do that,” Nwanosike added.

The Director of International Women Communication, Hajia Goroso Limota urged the senate to reject the list if it did not contain at least 35% of women.

Punch