Ministerial list: Atiku blasts Buhari as Senate suspends vacation to screen nominees  

Atiku Abubakar has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nomination list sent to the Senate for approval.

A statement by Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, accused Buhari of deflecting the attention of the country from the clash between Shi’ite and police with the release of the ministerial list.

He said Buhari used his 43-man ministerial list to deflect the narrative of the ‘avoidable’ death of about 13 persons during a shiites protest against the continued detention of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

“Buhari releases ministerial list ostensibly to deflect the narrative of the avoidable deaths following the Shiites protest of Monday,” Ibe tweeted.

The protest on Monday, July 22, claimed the life of a deputy police commissioner, Umar Usman, who was in charge of operations at the Federal Territory Police Command, a journalist with Channels Television Precious Owolabi and about 11 Shiites.

President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, had confirmed that President Buhari has sent the list to the Senate for approval.

He had confirmed the receipt of the list during plenary session and went on to reel out the names.

Among the ministerial nominees, Buhari listed former Ministers such as Chris Ngige, Hadi Sirika, Rotimi Amaechi, Adamu Adamu, Mohammed Adamu, Babatunde Fashola and Lai Mohammed.

Others in the list are Uche Ogah, Emeka Nwajuiba, Sadiya Farouk, Musa Bello, Godswill Akpabio, Sharon Ikeazor, Ogbonnaya Onu, Akpa Udo, and Adebayo (Ekiti).

Also, Timipre Sylva, Adamu Adamu, Shewuye (Borno), Isa Pantami, Gbemi Saraki, Ramatu Tijani, Clement Abam were also declared as part of the nominees.

Paullen Tallen, Abubakar Aliyu, Sale Mamman, Abubakar Malami, Muhammed Mamood, Rauf Aregbesola, Mustapha Buba Jedi Agba, Olamilekan Adegbite, and Mohammed Dangyadi.

Meanwhile, Senate on Tuesday postponed its annual vacation scheduled to commence this week till next week.

This is to enable it screen the 43 names on the ministerial list submitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, said that the upper chamber decided to move its vacation by a week to allow it do a thorough job in the screening of the 43 ministerial nominees.

He said that the Senate will also suspend its rules to allow the screening to last till as late as 10pm from Wednesday.

Adeyeye added that the Senate will also sit on Friday and Monday which are usually not plenary days “so that we can finish the screening exercise between Wednesday and end of next week”.

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