It is a prerogative of the president to appoint and remove the vice president and ministers under sections 70 and 71 of the Constitution respectively. The Constitution however establishes key conditions for appointing ministers. First and foremost, they are appointed for the purpose highlighted by section 74 of the Constitution. It reads:
“The Vice-President and Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the National Assembly for any advice given to the President in Cabinet, and the Vice-President and each Minister shall be accountable to the President and the National Assembly for the administration of the departments and other business of Government committed to his or her charge.”
In order to fulfill the role of being efficient and effective policy advisers and policy makers, section 72 obliges the president of the republic to abide by its dictates. It reads:
“The Vice-President and Ministers shall be responsible for such Ministries or other business of the Government as the President may assign to them. In making such assignments, the President shall have regard to the desirability of ensuring that such responsibilities are entrusted to competent persons with relevant qualifications or experience.”
Hence any Cabinet reshuffle should be gauged against the requirements of the Constitution in terms of appointing competent persons with relevant qualifications or experience.
It is important to note that in many constitutions today, appointment and removal of cabinet ministers is subjected to parliamentary inquiry. Furthermore, vice presidents serve as running mates and are required to hold office under constitutions that protect them from being removed by a president to ensure security of tenure.
