SENATE GRILLS NOMINATED MINISTERS TODAY.

President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of fifteen additional ministerial nominees to the senate for screening.   The names of the additional nominees will be made public by Senate President Bukola Saraki this morning.

President Buhari had on September 30th sent an initial 21-man list to the senate following a self imposed ultimatum to forward same to the National Assembly before the end of September.  The screening exercise will commence today in plenary, at the senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions yesterday announced the suspension of the petition against former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sam Anyanwu, said the decision to step down on the petition brought by Senator George Sekibo representing Rivers East, was reached as a result of a pending suit against the charges on Amaechi.    The former governor had appeared before the senate committee to defend his nomination.  Amaechi is facing stiff opposition from his state government who accuse him of embezzling over N70 billion, among other charges while in office. Earlier, another nominee, Hajiya Amina Ibrahim told the committee that she will be representing Gombe state in the Buhari cabinet and not Kaduna as widely reported. Senator Danjuma La’ah from Kaduna state had petitioned the senate leadership against Amina’s nomination to represent the state.  Amaechi and Amina were being grilled ahead of today’s screening by a committee of the whole.