The Senate is considering a Bill seeking to regulate the tenure in office of all appointments made by the president as it affects ministers, ambassadors and other public office holders.
Sponsored by the deputy Senate leader, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, Senators Uche Chukwumerije and Adeleke Mamora, the Bill which underwent a second reading yesterday, states that persons appointed by the president with such appointments confirmed by the Se-nate, must be reconfirmed by the Senate before such tenure can be extended by the president.
Such a desire by the president to extend the tenure of an appointee, the Bill adds, must be transmitted to the Senate, not later than 60 days before the expiration of the first term in office of the affected federal appointee.
However, the Bill says if a reconfirmation request is not received by the Senate from the president 60 days before the expiration of an appointee’s tenure, the tenure of such an appointee would have been deemed to have expired and consequently be made to vacate office.
The president shall therefore be required according to the Bill, to present a replacement request to the Senate for confirmation to occupy the vacant position within 60 days of such a position becoming vacant.
Moreover, the Bill mandates that the Senate shall within 30 days of receiving a confirmation or replacement request from the president, confirm the appointment of the nominee and shall app-rove or reject the nomination of any appointee by a simple majority.
Says a section of the Bill: “Where a president is elected and sworn into office for a second term, a minister appointed by that president during his preceding term in office shall vacate his pos-ition.”
Consequently, a president is expected to submit a new list of ministerial nominees specifying the portfolio of each nominee, including the intended postings of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
But the most controversial aspect of the Bill is that which states that the portfolio, country or intern-ational body to which a minister, ambassador or high commissioner had been allocated and posted cannot be changed or altered by the president except with the consent of the Senate.
The Bill, after extensive debate, was referred to the committee on establishments chaired by Senator Felix Ibru.
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