Next Level Cabinet: I Will Pick People I Personally Know – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday admitted that his first tenure cabinet was full of strange bed fellows, stressing that this time around he will only appoint those he personally know.

Mr. President said he was taking his time to put together the list of those he personally known unlike before when he could not verify names of nominees forwarded to him.

Buhari who spoke last night at a dinner with the leadership of the National Assembly, however admitted being under intense pressure to present the list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly.

Quoting Mr. President, a source at the dinner which had Senate President Ahmed Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila in attendance, said President Buhari said he was under tremendous pressure to release the list.

According to the source, he reportedly said that many of the ministers he appointed in his first tenure were not known to him personally.

The President was said to have expressed his plan “to appoint those he knows, have confidence in and that have the capacity to deliver”.

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“Many at this dinner meeting are saying they want to see the list of the proposed cabinet so that they can go on leave peacefully.

“I’m very much aware about it; I’m under tremendous pressure on it. But the last cabinet, which I headed, most of them, the majority of them I didn’t know them. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the party and other individuals.

“I worked with them for three and half years at least – meeting twice or two weeks in a month. So I know them.

“But, this time around I’m going to be quite me – me in the sense that I will pick people I personally know.”

Speaking to journalists shortly after the dinner, Lawan corrected media report credited to him that he said ministerial list would get to the Senate before this weekend.

According to him, the Senate was yet to receive the list from the President, stressing that ministerial lists are not submitted at dinners.

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Denying saying that the list will be out this week, when asked if he was now in possession of the ministerial list, Lawan said: “Well, I came for a dinner and the process of receiving list is not at dinners. That is all I have to say about this.”

Reminded that reports quoted him as saying that; Lawan said: “I never did. Let me take this opportunity to correct that. A senator raised a point of order under personal explanation and he said we should be sent the list of ministers by the executive arm of government.

“And in my response, I said the executive is working so hard to ensure that the list of Nigerians that will help this Administration work is going to be constituted, we could even receive it this week.

“Could is conditional and I will urge everybody here to report it as it is.” he added

Present at the dinner were: Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Senators Abdullahi Yahaya (Majority Leader); Ajayi Boroffice (Deputy Leader); Orji Uzor Kalu (Chief Whip) and Sabi Abdullahi (Deputy Chief Whip).

The House of Representatives leaders were: Emmanuel Bwacha (Deputy Minority Leader);  Phillip Aduda (Minority Whip), Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (Majority Leader); Ndudi Elumelu (Minority Leader); Toby Okechukwu (Deputy Minority Leader).

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, as well as National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole were also at the dinner.