Senate 'bends' rules to screen ministerial candidates Monday
The Senate has set aside its own rules to clear the way for Monday, July 31 to begin the selection of the 28 ministerial candidates presented by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the Rules of the Senate, senators are not supposed to sit on Mondays.
Chairman of the Senate Media and Public Affairs Committee, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who dropped the hint during the briefing to reporters after the plenary, said there would be a thorough selection for each of the candidates.
He said the Red Chamber had to postpone its long annual recess, which should have started on Thursday, to allow lawmakers to screen candidates for as long as the exercise took them.
The spokesperson ruled out the tradition of automatic “bow and go” for any of the candidates unless necessary, assuring the 10th Senate would not disappoint Nigerians.
He said the scouting exercise this time around would be thorough and not just a matter of 'bow and go'.
According to him, "The 10th Senate will consider the character, personality and ability of each candidate.
"A thorough selection of anyone who will be a minister implies that he must have ideas on everything, but in basic specialties such as health, justice, yes, the minister must be a professional.
"The character of the candidates must carry the CV, but we will not fabricate questions and allegations against anyone."
Senator Adaramodu indicated that now that the names of the candidates have been read out, anyone who has anything against them, such as petitions, can forward them to the right quarters in the Senate.
On allegations of fraud against some candidates, like former governors, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, he said that all candidates have undergone security checks by the executive.
He said, "However, if there is a red flag raised, we will look into it, again emphasizing that Nigerians will never be disappointed with the Senate as 'the team will bring oxygen' .
The spokesperson said: "Although the Senate is not supposed to sit on Mondays, but due to the importance attached to this national mission, we have suspended all our rules for them to begin the exercise next Monday."
The Senate has set aside its own rules to clear the way for Monday, July 31 to begin the selection of the 28 ministerial candidates presented by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the Rules of the Senate, senators are not supposed to sit on Mondays.
Chairman of the Senate Media and Public Affairs Committee, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who dropped the hint during the briefing to reporters after the plenary, said there would be a thorough selection for each of the candidates.
He said the Red Chamber had to postpone its long annual recess, which should have started on Thursday, to allow lawmakers to screen candidates for as long as the exercise took them.
The spokesperson ruled out the tradition of automatic “bow and go” for any of the candidates unless necessary, assuring the 10th Senate would not disappoint Nigerians.
He said the scouting exercise this time around would be thorough and not just a matter of 'bow and go'.
According to him, "The 10th Senate will consider the character, personality and ability of each candidate.
"A thorough selection of anyone who will be a minister implies that he must have ideas on everything, but in basic specialties such as health, justice, yes, the minister must be a professional.
"The character of the candidates must carry the CV, but we will not fabricate questions and allegations against anyone."
Senator Adaramodu indicated that now that the names of the candidates have been read out, anyone who has anything against them, such as petitions, can forward them to the right quarters in the Senate.
On allegations of fraud against some candidates, like former governors, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, he said that all candidates have undergone security checks by the executive.
He said, "However, if there is a red flag raised, we will look into it, again emphasizing that Nigerians will never be disappointed with the Senate as 'the team will bring oxygen' .
The spokesperson said: "Although the Senate is not supposed to sit on Mondays, but due to the importance attached to this national mission, we have suspended all our rules for them to begin the exercise next Monday."
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