UPDATED: No ministerial list as senate adjourns

‎Despite the anxious wait for the announcement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees on the floor of the senate on Wednesday, Senate President Bukola Saraki started off and ended the day’s session without reading out any letter from the president on the matter.

It is the tradition of the upper legislative chamber, for the senate president to read out correspondence from the president or any other source at the beginning of the session.

Godswill Akpabio, senate minority leader, who was curious, raised a point of order asking the senate‎ president to explain why he skipped reading out list.

He also wondered if the ministerial list was really in the possession of the senate president since Buhari promised to release the names of the members of his cabinet before the end of Septem‎ber.

However, Bala Na’ allah, deputy senate leader, countered Akpabio, saying the senate president still had enough time before the end of the day.

Saraki thereafter ruled Akpabio out of order.

The only letter Saraki read out on the floor of the senate was from the All Progressives Congress (APC) southwest caucus nominating Olusola Adeyeye (Osun) as chief whip of the senate.

Subsequently, Adeyeye assumed his new position, taking his seat in the same row as that of the deputy senate president.

Nevertheless, just as the deputy senate leader, argued, the senate president might choose to read out the list before the end of the session.

The senate eventually adjourned to next Tuesday without the reading of any letter from the president regarding the ministerial nominees.

Before the adjournment, the lawmakers took turns to‎ eulogise Nigeria on its 55th independence anniversary.

They also resolved to urge the federal government to observe low-key celebrations on October 1 due to the death of dozens of Nigerians at the hajj stampede.