The Senate has described as unnecessary the resolution passed by
the 8th Senate which mandated the President to attach portfolios to
the ministerial nominees’ list.
The Eight Senate under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki
had passed a resolution asking the President to indicate the
portfolios that would be assigned to the ministerial nominees.
Members of the 8th Senate had argued that such an arrangement
would enable the lawmakers to know the specific questions to ask
the nominees.
The member representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial
District, Bassey Akpan, had received satisfactory nods from his
colleagues when he reminded the leadership of the 9th Senate about
the resolution passed by their immediate predecessors on the
issue.
Akpan had argued that the best way to help the President put the
right person in the right position was to know the specific
ministry each nominee would handle when they appear for
screening.
He maintained that such arrangement would enable the lawmakers
to assess the competence of the nominees.
But speaking on behalf of the 9th Senate in an interview with
our correspondent on Friday, the spokesperson, Senator Adedayo
Adeyeye, said it was not mandatory for the President to attach
portfolios to the ministerial nominees’ list.
He argued that Presidents of advanced countries like the USA
which subscribed to such practice still reserved the right to swap
portfolios of their nominees before and after their
inauguration.
Adeyeye argued that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a lawyer,
performed well as minister of finance while the late Aminu Kano, a
teacher, also did well as the minister of health.
He said, “It is not a constitutional prerequisite neither is it
mandatory for the President to assign portfolios to the ministerial
nominees.
“Also, Senate up till now has not made any law or any regulation
that would insist on that.
“There is nothing, either in the Senate rules or in the
Constitution that will compel the President to do that.”
Adeyeye admitted that attaching portfolios to ministerial
nominees list would have assisted senators to ask specific
questions but insisted that it was not necessary for the parliament
to emphasise it.
He said, “Our major concern is to identify the leadership
qualities in the nominees being presented to us for
screening.’’
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