pressure he is facing on the ministerial list.
At a dinner with the leadership of the National Assembly, Buhari said
during his first tenure in 2015, he had people he never met or know who
made the Ministerial list.
“I’m very much aware about it; I’m under tremendous pressure on it. But
the last cabinet which I headed, most of them, the majority of them I
didn’t know them. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the
party and other individuals, he stated during the dinner with.
According to the President: “But, this time around I’m going to be quiet
in the sense that I will pick people I personally know.”
The President insisted that this time around he wants to appoint those
he knows, have confidence in and have the capacity to deliver.
“Many at this dinner meeting are saying they want to see the list of the
proposed cabinet so that they can go on peacefully. Speaking to State
House Correspondents at the end of the dinner which ended at about
9:50pm, Senate President Lawan asked if he was now in possession of the
ministerial list said, list are not submitted at dinners.
He said: “Well, I came for a dinner and the process of receiving list is
not at dinners. That is all I have to say about this.”
When reminded that he promised Nigerians that the list will get to the
Senate this week he said: “I never did. Let me take this opportunity to
correct that. A senator raised a point of order under personal
explanation and he said we should be sent the list of ministers by the
executive arm of government. And in my response I said the executive is
working so hard to ensure that the list of Nigerians that will help this
Administration work is going to be constituted, we could even receive it
this week. Could is conditional and I will urge everybody here to report
it as it is.”
Also at the dinner was Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila. Other principal officers at the dinner included Senator
Abdullahi Yahaya – Majority Leader, Senator Ajayi Borofice – Deputy
Leader, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu – Chief Whip and Senator Sabi Abdullahi –
Deputy Chief Whip. Others included Emmanuel Bwacha, Phillip Aduda-
Minority Whip, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, Ndudi Godwin Elumelu – Minority
Leader, Toby Okechukwu – Deputy Minority Leader.
Also at the dinner included the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang, who
initiated the dinner.