President Bola Tinubu has put forward three additional ministerial nominees for confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. The announcement was made during the resumption of the Senate’s plenary session on Tuesday, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio reading the letter from President Tinubu formally requesting the confirmation of these nominees.
The newly nominated individuals are Balarabe Abbas Lawal from Kaduna State, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim from Kwara State, and Mr. Ayodele Olawande from Ondo State.
This development follows the Senate’s screening and confirmation of 45 ministerial nominees in August 2023, during which three nominees were rejected. One of the notable rejections was former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The other two nominees who were not confirmed at that time were Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.
During the screening process in August, concerns were raised regarding a “serious petition” against Nasir El-Rufai. Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi West, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, brought this petition to the attention of his fellow lawmakers.
While acknowledging El-Rufai’s impressive track record in various positions, Senator Karimi expressed the need to consider the petition, which reportedly pertained to issues related to national security, unity, and cohesion.
President Tinubu’s new nominations will now undergo the Senate’s confirmation process, where their qualifications and suitability for ministerial roles will be assessed by the lawmakers.