House urges Osinbajo to assign portfolios to 2 ministers-designate

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to swear in the two ministerial nominees recently approved by the Senate.

It said that the ministers-designate were from Kogi and Gombe state.

The call was sequel to a motion brought under matters of urgent national importance by Rep. Karimi Sunday (Kogi-PDP) at plenary.

Sunday had expressed concern that the states were not represented in the Federal Executive Council, adding that the council as currently constituted was a breach of Section 14(2) and Section 147(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

He said that the Constitution vested the executive power in the President and that such power may be exercised directly through the Vice President and ministers.

He cited relevant sections of the Constitution to support the motion and said that the affected states had been denied representation in the Federal Executive Council.

The lawmaker, therefore, urged the House to prevail on the acting president to swear in the ministers-designate.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to a voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Lasun Yussuff, who presided at the plenary.

Appointment of the two ministers – Prof. Stephen Ocheni from Kogi and Suleiman Hassan from Gombe – was confirmed by the Senate on May 3, 2017.