Ministerial Nominees: State Caucuses To Provide Soft Landing As Senate Screening Begins Monday

State caucuses of the 10th Senate would provide the necessary shield and protection for the ministerial nominees as screening begins on Monday, THE WHISTLER learnt on Friday.

In order to ensure a smooth screening exercise, nominees from states have begun to reach out to their senators, who usually put spanner into such exercises.

Although ministerial nominees usually get the pass, none of the nominees will leave anything to chance especially with a mixture of parties producing senators from states.

One of the states that is a worry is Kaduna State with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, producing the three Senators from the state but “political solutions would be found especially as the nominee has received security clearance,” a PDP senator explained on Friday.

“No one will witch-hunt anyone,” he declared.

This medium reported that the list of 28 ministerial nominees was submitted on Thursday morning to the Senate.

After an executive session, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio read out the names, which the president Bola Tinubu said was the first batch.

11 states where there’s dispute over who should be nominated as minister are yet to feature.

The Senate was to begin its usual annual vacation on Thursday, the day it received the list of ministerial nominees but that has now been put on hold.

The upper house decided to alter its calendar to ensure the screening exercise which the spokesman for the Senate, Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC-Ekiti), said begins on Monday, is conducted.

“We have suspended all our rules for them to commence the exercise next Monday,” said Adaramodu

It was gathered that these caucuses will meet across party lines until Monday to ensure their “candidates are supported and allowed to go,” a source revealed on Friday.

A senator told our Correspondent that “it’s normal to meet, whether we are from one party or two from a state. What’s important is to ensure our fellow brother or sister gets the necessary support to serve in the capacity chosen.”

Already several caucuses have scheduled their days with one of the South South states fixing a meeting for Friday evening with a North Central state reportedly meeting on Saturday.

Also, some of the nominees were “the first to call us to seek our support,” a Senator revealed on Friday.

“My senior political ally, whom I look up to, is also a nominee but in another party. So we would do justice in terms of screening and clearance not to witch-hunt anyone.

“Besides these are noble Nigerians who have served as governors, senators, members of the house etc.”

Adaramodu on his part said hours after the list was unveiled, “The Senate is going to examine the character, personality, experiences, the background of every nominee, and we believe at the end of it, Nigerians will not be disappointed.”

In view of the urgent need to have a cabinet, nominees are expected to smoothen things up with their respective senators who would “protect them during the screening exercise on the floor” beginning on Monday, an aide to the senator explained.

“We expect that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that will be constituted after the screening is going to be the one that will breathe oxygen into the comatose economy of Nigeria,” the Senate spokesman said.

However, he said “if there is any red flag raised, we will look into it. Nigerians will never be disappointed by the 10th Senate.”

The screening exercise would be conducted daily, this paper gathered.