Trouble as Prominent Lawyer Threatens President Bola Tinubu With Court over Ministerial List

• 57 days have passed out of the 60-day grace period that President Bola Tinubu has to submit the list of his ministerial nominees to the national assembly
• Popular Abuj lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has asked the president not to forget the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
• Failure of President Tinubu to name a minister of FCT extraction will lead to a suit in court, Olajengbesi warned

FCT, Abuja - An Abuja-based lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has said he will challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision in court in the event an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is omitted from the ministerial list.

According to Guardian, Olajengbesi said the FCT should not be denied the benefits of a state.

'It’ll be injustice for Tinubu govt not to give FCT ministerial slot', Olajengbesi

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He stated that it will be an injustice for the about four million FCT indigenes and population if the current administration of President Tinubu does not give it a ministerial slot, Leadership newspaper also reported.

According to Olajengbesi, it is crucial for the President to comply with a January 2018 Appeal Court judgement which ruled that indigenous people of the FCT are entitled to ministerial slots as provided by the combined provisions of sections 147 (3), 299, 14 (3) and 42 of the 1999 constitution.

Olajengbesi’s statement partly reads:

“The APC-led government of President Bola Tinubu must not deny the FCT of a ministerial slot just as each of the 36 states get at least one ministerial slot.

"We’ll be challenging any contrary outcome in court.”

Legit.ng reports that since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, no indigene of the Abuja has been appointed FCT minister.

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Ministerial list: Senate speaks on Tinubu's nominees

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that the Senate will suspend its annual vacation as the Red Chamber is said to be expecting the ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu for screening.

The lawmakers are expecting the list from the presidency this week.

A principal officer of the Senate disclosed that the Upper Chamber was expected to embark on its annual recess, expected to be on July 27 to September, and would be willing to have a sitting every day to ensure that the nominees are cleared, even if that means the beginning of the recess would be extended by one week.

President Tinubu’s ministerial list fails to surface at senate, southeast Senator Umeh reacts

Legit.ng also reported that the senator representing Anam­bra Central, Victor Umeh, revealed his position regarding the long-awaited ministerial list of Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Umeh on Thursday, July 20, disclosed that the Sen­ate is not in possession of the minis­terial list purportedly sent to its chamber by President Tinubu.

Source: Legit.ng