While Nigerians await the screening of the long awaited ministerial list by the upper Legislative chambers, National Weekender can authoritatively report that the process may be delayed following frantic efforts by the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki to wriggle out of his pending case with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
According to an impeccable source in the Presidency, the embattled Chairman of the National Assembly, upon receipt of the ministerial list, which was handed to him last Wednesday by the Presidency, has been involved in horse trading with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who he believes is the architect of his misfortunes.
National Weekender scooped that Dr. Bukola is requesting that in exchange for clearance of perceived Tinubu men on the list, the later should prevail upon the CCB authorities to drop the cases preferred against him.
In his words, our source said: “I don’t see the ministerial screening exercise taking place on Tuesday, even if the Senate resumes as agreed since it is the same day the second hearing of the case against Dr. Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) would hold.
“Saraki has requested specifically, that the case against him be dropped but if that is not done Tinubu’s men who made the list will not be cleared and he is ready to stretch the process for as long as possible pending his clearance.
“The Senate President will try to delay the screening process, but if he can’t, only men not loyal to Tinubu on the list will be considered and cleared for Tuesday.
However, all this depends on the result of the hearing on Tuesday. “As it seems now, the Tinubu camp wants he to clear their men first before any agreement will be reached, but following the high level of distrust existing between both factions, Saraki will not bulge unless the case against him is dropped and he is discharged and acquitted.
“Of course he (Dr. Saraki) enjoys the support of majority members of the Senate and even the House of Representatives share the same sympathy with upper legislative house. Remember, that last week, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara advised that the CCT and by extension the Presidency tread softly on the Saraki saga.”
It will be recalled that the Chairman, Adhoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Dino Melaye fielding questions from pressmen about the proposed ministerial list screening said, it will not be business as usual.
“The era of take a bow is gone; We will make sure all the nominees will be screened irrespective of political, ethnic and regional considerations,” Melaye said..
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