Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has described insinuations that he is an uncircumcised appendage and a rubber stamp to the Executive as “sentimental and laughable.” Lawan made this known in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mohammed Isa, when addressing a group, Women Parliamentarians, led by Sen. Joy Emordi in Abuja.
He noted that his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not be misconstrued as him not being independent-minded. He said: “During my campaign, I was called a potential rubber stamp Senate President to the executive; maybe because I am close to the President, or because I believe in his cause.
“There is no time that I will ever be a rubber stamp. Yes, I believe in President Buhari as a person and I believe in my party, the APC, but I believe that our problems as Nigerians are Nigerian problems. They are neither APC nor PDP problems, they are Nigerian problems, that require Nigerian solution. So, we have to work together.
“We will be there for the executive arm of government all the time in moving this country forward. We are going to challenge the executive in a manner that is decent but decisive. As a Minister, you have to do your ministerial job well. We will make government appointees to do what is required of them.
“We have to deal with the issues confronting us. It is not going to be easy, but we have to build a relationship that have mutual respect, collaboration and partnership. It is achievable. We are not here for self-serving. We came here with a lot of experiences to impact positively in our country. We are here and we will remain focus to make this government work.”
He used the occasion to charge Nigerian women to be more involved in politics. “The political space in the country is wide enough to accommodate our women, but the ball is in their court to take the advantages,” he said.
Sen. Emordi congratulated the Presiding Officers and the leadership of the 9th Senate for what she described as smooth transition. He urged them to use their expertise to better the lots of Nigerians. Emordi said the group was formed to give support where necessary to serving women in the parliament.
“It is our objective to promote cordial relationship between the executive and legislature, and remove the boundaries on women participation in politics for good governance,” she said.
Lawan’s rebuttal came after efforts on Wednesday to pacify anxious Senators over President Buhari’s delayed submission of the cabinet list fell on its face. Lawan had quickly intervened to douse growing tension among lawmakers who were worried that the delay could increase pressure on their work schedule especially as the end of session recess was just two weeks away.
“This is to inform this Senate that the executive arm of government is working very hard to get the list of ministerial nominees to the Senate. I can imagine that before this week runs out, we could get the list,” Lawan said. But with yesterday being the National Assembly’s last legislative day, the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the list became the source of controversy and anger.
Reporters covering the Senate were forced to endure a grueling 24 hours as inquisitive callers sought to know whether the much-anticipated list had finally arrived. But rather than receive an answer, amazement took over when Lawan upheld a motion by Majority Leader Yahaya Abdullahi to the effect that the Senate had adjourned till July 16, 2019.
To the lawmakers present in the chamber, the import is clear: Nigerians will have to wait longer for the list of cabinet nominees. At a press conference shortly after yesterday’s session, the chairman of the Senate committee on media and public affairs, Adedayo Adeyeye, confirmed that the Senate was not in custody of the list.
Flanked by members of the committee, he said though lawmakers were anxious to work on the list, their hands were tied until the executive would submit it as required by the constitution. “We cannot keep the list. If the list is transmitted to the president of the Senate, it will be read immediately. We are too eager. Like I have told you, we want to hit the ground running. This is an activity that is not within our control and there is nothing we can do about it. Like I said here two or three days ago, this matter is not within the control of the Senate. We cannot generate the list on our own. The constitution does not permit us to do that.
“The constitution has assigned responsibility to various parts of government and it is the prerogative of the executive to nominate ministers who will then be confirmed by the Senate. Until that duty is undertaken by the executive, there is nothing we can do,” Adeyeye said.