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National Assembly to unveil authentic ministerial list today – Akpabio’s aide

A media aide to the Senate President, Jackson Akpabio, has stated that the authentic ministerial list of President Bola Tinubu will be unveiled today.
He further urged Nigerians to stop speculating and wait for the unveiling of the nominees.
Commenting on the list, he said, “I saw the list too just like every other person did, let’s wait till tomorrow (today). Don’t speculate, tomorrow (today), you’ll see the list.”
Also, there were speculations over the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau’s early departure from the Senate building on Wednesday.
But Jackson clarified that Akpabio was within the National Assembly complex on an inspection of a building site.
He said, “The Senate president’s outing this evening has nothing to do with the ministerial list, he went to inspect a church site within the complex.”
The long wait for the ministerial nominees will end on Thursday (today) as the Senate is expected to unveil the list of ministers during today’s plenary which is the constitutional deadline for the nomination.
This is as a viral list of ministers which surfaced on social media on Wednesday generated confusion across the country.
There has been anxiety over the delay in the release of the ministerial list by President Bola Tinubu.
Many Nigerians have expressed concerns over the delayed formation of the president’s cabinet, particularly given Tinubu’s promise that he would hit the ground running.
In a statement on March 16, Tinubu pledged to set up a “government of national competence.’’
The Fifth Amendment to the 1999 Constitution mandates the president and governors to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner-nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.
Tinubu, who was sworn in as president on May 29, has to submit his ministerial list to the Senate on July 28 (today) as stipulated by law.
Section 42 of the constitution states that “(a) the nomination of any person to the office of a minister for confirmation by the Senate shall be done within 60 days after the date the President has taken the oath of office; (b) not less than 10 per cent of persons appointed as Ministers shall be women:
“Provided that the President may appoint a minister at any other time during his tenure and such appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
The constitution further said that the president shall appoint at least a minister from each of the 36 states of the federation.
In the past weeks, there had been speculations about those who would make the ministerial list with several names popping up on social media.
The viral list which circulated on Wednesday included the names of popular politicians, including former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike; Sen. Aishatu Dahiru popularly known as Binani (Adamawa State); Sen. Andy Uba (Anambra); Alhaji Isa Yuguda (Bauchi State); Sen. Abubakar Kyari ( Borno State) and former Cross River governor Sen. Ben Ayade.
Other names on the controversial list are Peter Godsday Orubebe (Delta State); Dayo Adeyeye (Ekiti State); Ifeanyi Ugwanyi ( Enugu State) Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso( Kano State); Atiku Bagudu ( Kebbi State); James Faleke (Kogi State); Gbemisola Saraki ( Kwara State); Sen. Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa State).
Also on the list are former Speaker, of the House of Representatives, Oladimeji Bankole (Ogun State); ex-Osun Governor Gboyega Oyetola and former Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong.
Those in the assumed list include:
Pate, a Harvard professor of medicine, is a former Minister of State (Health) in the defunct Jonathan Administration. A source said he is likely to hold the Health portfolio.
Wike, lawyer, former Minister of State for Education, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, was the leader of the aggrieved G-5, which opposed the presidential ambition of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), headed the APC Panel on Restructuring. According to the source, he may be assigned to the Power Ministry.
Fagbemi, who hails from Ijagbo, Kwara State, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Edun, one-time Lagos Finance Commissioner, is currently Special Adviser to the President on Monetary Policy.
Oyetola, a financial expert, was governor of Osun State between 2018 and 2022.
The APC Women Leader, Dr. Edu, is a former Health Commissioner in Cross Rivers State.
Ayade, a professor of microbiology, has served as Senator before he became governor.
The nominee from Oyo State, Adelabu, retired as Central Bank Deputy Governor. In the last general election, he contested for governor on the platform of the Accord Party.
During his 60th birthday in Abuja two days ago, Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele hinted that the President would forward the list to the Senate in the next 48 hours.
He told dignitaries at the occasion that President Tinubu, who was expected as the father of the day, could not attend the ceremony because he was busy drawing up the list.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central District in the Senate, also said President Tinubu has not attended any public event since Monday because he was putting the finishing touches to the list.
The Senate Leader urged Nigerians to pray for the President over the task.
Also, last week, the Senate postponed its recess to enable senators to receive the list and screen the nominees.
According to the source, the screening of nominees is likely to be held next week.
News
2027: Hurdles Before The Coalition, By Emeka Monye

The 2027 presidential election in Nigeria is shaping up to be a crucial contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a potential coalition of opposition parties. Several hurdles need to be overcome for the opposition coalition to succeed.
The political class is already preparing for this quadrennial event, holding consultations, meetings, negotiations, among other contending factors.
The ruling party, The All Progressive Congress, appears to be the most beautiful bride at the moment as members of other opposition parties have been courting the party, in a gale of defections, in what many political pundits and analysts described as a political tsunami.
While the APC seems to be enjoying the foray of defections by other party members into their fold, the main opposition party, The Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, appears to have lost its steam in the run of play.
The once dominant party is plagued by a series of internal crises which many political analysts believe will be the party’s undoings.
The once largest political party in Africa and oldest in Nigeria since it was created in 1998 by some elder statesmen, is now a shadow of itself, living in past glory and trying to win its way back to national prominence.
Already, some past and present leaders of the party have been consulting, negotiating, discussing, even though they have agreed yet, all in a bit to wrestle power from the stronghold of the Bola Tinubu-Led APC at the centre.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General elections, Peter Obi, former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, among other bigwigs, are believed to be in talks with one another of how to build a possible coalition to edge the ruling APC in the power game.
Although, no concrete decision has been reached by the major actors, their negotiations and their inability to reach a consensus remain critical factors that might endanger the birth of a viable coalition.
Factors like who will step down for who as the realignment begins, remains a major issue, taking into consideration their individual experiences, exposures, skills, knowledge, capacities and egos.
Except this issue is resolved in the run up to the 2027 presidential polls, it will be a mirage for them to unseat the Tinubu-Led government.
While the running party is busy strategizing ahead of the 2027 presidential polls, the other parties are still grappling with their internal crisis.
Some analysts believe that Atiku’s past experience as Vice President under the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, might give him an edge, while others think Peter Obi’s popularity in the South could bring a geographical balance to the ticket.
For them to form a strong force against the APC, then, they must find common platform and agree on a candidate, which might be challenging given their different ideologies and interest.
Other factors which some political analysts have highlighted that may pose as a stumbling block agents the coalition is the timing. The time between and 2027 is quite a short time for the coalition to gather and make the desired impact.
This of course, is no brainer. Any merger of alliance must be arranged within a reasonable timeframe to be effective. Also, the coalition will have to convince the Nigerian voting public of its purpose and demonstrate a clear vision for the country’s future, particularly in the area of addressing the economic misfortunes of majority of the people. Another hurdle that would be staring the coalition in the face remains the issue of power rotation.
While the south believe it’s that turn to complete their second term in 2027, the north on the other hand argue that they have been short-changed in the governance structure of the country – in terms of number of years – since the return of democracy in 1999.
Out of the total 26 years, the north has ruled for 11 years, with the south 15 years. The issue remains a key factor that would affect the coalition to birth.
The coalition, must as a matter of urgency, decency decide on this unwritten agreement about rotating power between the North and the South, potentially present a southern for one term to allow the South to complete its own two terms for the office of the president.
In conclusion, the coalition, if it really wants to win power in 2027, must make a compelling case for itself, highlighting its unique strengths and vision, rather than just criticizing the incumbent.
It needs to differentiate itself and show Nigerians that it has a better alternative.
Emeka Monye Is A Journalist And Works With ARISE NEWS.
News
Mauritania’s Tah succeeds Adesina as 9th AfDB President
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth president of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) as Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina prepares to bow out.
The Bank announced his election on its website on Thursday.
Adesina’s 10-year tenure will end this year and Tah is expected to assume office on September 1, 2025.
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Board comprises finance ministers and central bank governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries.
News
JUST IN: Appeal Court Affirms Okphebholo as Edo Governor

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Monday Okphebholo as duly elected in the September 21, 2024 Edo Governorship polls, as it affirms the decision of the Tribunal which on April 2 dismissed the petition of Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for lacking merit.
A three-man panel of the Appeal court, presided over by Justice Mohamed Danjuma, restated the position of the Tribunal which held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The panel held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Appellate Court agrees with the Tribunal that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) Machines which the appellants tendered were merely ‘dumped’ as they weren’t demonstrated to prove overvoting.
This the Court held after it earlier expunged the 133 BVAS machines admitted in evidence at the Tribunal stage of the Governorship tussle.
Ighodalo and the PDP were further faulted by the Appellate Court for failing to tender the voter register to prove overvoting.
The Court further adds that BVAS extract doesn’t constitute items with which to prove overvoting. It says the documents tendered by the PDP at the Tribunal did not, on their own, prove overvoting, non-holding or cancellation of elections at the polling units.
To further puncture the case of the PDP, the panel says the 19 witnesses called by the appellants during the Tribunal hearing didn’t help their case.
It says the majority of them did not witness what they spoke about. Moreso, it adds they were insufficient to prove irregularities in polling stations at over 4,000 locations.
Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, against Asue Ighodalo of the PDP who garnered 247,274 votes.
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