Reacting to queries from several political stakeholder, observers and citizenry as to why President Muhammadu Buhari sent only 21 ministerial nominees to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Presidency has said that there is a possibility that the next batch of nominees may be sent to the Senate when they resume plenary sitting on Tuesday, October 6, 2015.
According to Vanguard, when quizzed on the issue, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “To be honest with you, I have been travelling in the last two days. I came in early today (yesterday). I am not privy to any list. However, every government from 1999 till date under this constitution, has not given the names of ministers from day one.
“They (ministerial nominees) have always been sent to the National Assembly in batches, this is nothing extraordinary. Where is the balance? I do not know. May be by Tuesday next week when they come back, they (National Assembly) will probably have the balance waiting for them but if it will take a longer period, the President will decide that.”
The following names have been widely circulated by the media as the 21 individuals that make up the first batch of nominiees sent to the Senate by President Buhari: Dr. Chris Ngige (Anambra), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Gen. Abdurrahman Dambazau, retd, (Kano), Aisha AlHassan (Taraba), Ogbonnaya Onu (Abia), Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) and Abubakar Malami, SAN, (Kebbi), Senator Sirika Hadi (Katsina), Adebayo Shittu (Oyo), Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa), Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Ibe Kachikwu (Delta), Osagie Ehanire (Edo) Udoma Udo-Udoma (Akwa Ibom), Ahmed Isa Ibeto (Niger), Ibrahim Jibril, Audu Ogbeh (Benue), and Amina Mohammed (Kaduna).
