I’m waiting to see how senators will screen
President Buhari’s ministerial nominees without a
hitch before the end of September. With the raging
cross-arm spat between the presidency and the
senate, it is unlikely that ministers will be fully
screened by the end of next month.
Trust senators they will grill and reject most of
Buhari’s ministerial nominees.
But if we at the lower rung see what happens to
the senate president Bukola Saraki as a triumph
against corruption the senators see otherwise. For
them it is an affront which they will retaliate after
licking their wounds.
Whenever an episode of the Saraki serial drama is
played, I took some mental notes. APC’s margin is
not too wide in the senate that bothers me,
President Buhari is yet to nominate ministers for
screening this bothers me most.
Again, if Saraki is finally jailed as the anti-graft
campaigners want PDP’s Ike Ekweremadu may
likely takeover It is obvious pro-Saraki senators
will team up with PDP senators to make that
happen. And this travail garner more support to
Saraki better than ever in the senate.
Dealing with Saraki through Code of Conduct
Tribunal may appear easy just as “easy” as
removing trousers through the head Those
hatching this plan should have weighed the
implication of the task.
Take the issue of ministerial nominees again I
know there will be stormy sessions and no
nominee will have an easy sail. The senators will
surely make mincemeat of some nominees, while
making Yahuza suya of many others. It will be
‘mandako’ or ‘kuli-kulin kubura’ for Tinubu’s
nominee(s).
I know senators will subject each nominee to
rigorous scrutiny they will check as far back as a
nominee’s days in nursery school to see if an
‘undeclared’ lunchbox or a pack of crayons was
once found with him. If you are a ministerial
nominee know that senators won’t brook a
“crime” as little as nicking a kobo under your
mom’s pillow to buy Bazooka or condensed milk.
Senators will check wether a nominee once
“brought down” his father’s piggy-bank as a kid.
Nigerians will surely watch the most interesting
screening ever! Believe me, there will be an
intriguing drama, a melodrama. There will be a
stalemate and a checkmate. There will be
suspense and suspension (of sittings). There will
be presentation and representation of nominees.
The president’s aide on National Assembly will
have an uphill task in the coming weeks or even
months.
Even when there is cordial relationship between the
two arms, senate screening often raises some
dusts. During Obasanjo when senators were
allegedly bribed to screen nominees some
senators failed the (bribery) test. I remember how
Ambassador Bayo Yusuf was rejected outright by
senators during Obasanjo era I remember how
Professor Babalola Borishade was presented three
times before he finally “bribed” his way to
Obasanjo’s cabinet in 2003. Now think of
screening under someone who does “not”
interfere.
Now we are in the era of puritanism. Baba is
puritan and senators will help him get people of
his moral standing to man his cabinet. I’m just
imagining that dramatic scene when Rotimi
Amaechis of this world will stand before Saraki for
screening or the Babatunde fasholas.
But looking deep to all these irrespective, if a cabal is behind the travail of saraki or not or whether it is politically motivated or witch hunt. At the end of it all Nigerians will be the winner and this might just be the road to sanity in the executive arm because the vendetta of the red chamber will provide more check and balance in governance, scrutiny to every bill sent to the legislatures by the executives, every anomaly will be spotted. though this might be dangerous for our democracy but there will be a sit tight between the executives and the legislatures and trust Baba this will suit him with his strict anti-corruption campaign.

Right