Ministerial Race: Senate's New Rule Puts Amaechi and Fashola at Risk

Every ministerial nominee must be endorsed by at least two senators from their state, the senate ruled on Thursday after deliberating on the procedures for the screening which commences on Tuesday according to The Cable.

Except there is last-minute realignment of forces, some of the ministerial nominees may not scale through. Rotimi Amaechi , former governor of Rivers state, has been openly antagonised by the three PDP senators from his state.

It is also believed that Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos state, may be affected by the proviso, which is not new but had been used in the past to disqualify certain nominees. Fashola is not thought to be a nominee of Bola Tinubu whom the three APC senators from Lagos state are loyal to.

According to Dino Melaye, spokesman of the senate, the upper chamber would adopt constitutional provisions and conventions of the senate as modalities for screening the nominees. Melaye said the senate would apply section 147 of the Nigerian constitution‎, which states a nominee must be an indigene of one of the 36 states of the federation, in the exercise.

He also disclosed that the senate would use section 14(3‎) of the 1999 constitution, which stipulates that a nominee must be eligible by age and academic qualification to be confirmed as a minister.