Senate confirms 45 of 48 ministerial nominees; fails to confirm El-Rufai, Danladi, Okotete
Written by Broadstreet Admin on August 8, 2023
The Senate on Monday finally concluded the screening of 45 of the 48 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, confirming them as cabinet members after a week of intense grilling for some and cursory introductions for others.
The upper legislative chamber, however, withheld the confirmation of the remaining nominees namely former Governor of Kaduna State; Nasir El-Rufai, Stella Okotete (Delta State), and Abubakar Danladi (Taraba State), as they are said to still be undergoing security clearance.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the nominations to a series of voice votes, of which all but 3 were approved.
The confirmation comes over a week after Tinubu’s transmission of a 28-member list to the Senate for confirmation on July 27.
There had been a couple of petitions against these ministerial nominees which came up during their screening at the Senate.
Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) presented a petition written against the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, during the screening.
Karimi, after El-Rufai’s presentations, stood up and told the chamber that he had a petition written against the former governor over the issue of insecurity in Southern Kaduna.
He said, “Your performance in any office you find yourself in the country has been outstanding. In the bureau of public enterprises, your record is there, in FCT as a minister, your record is there, and as two-time governor of Kaduna state, you did well.”
Raising a brown envelope, Karimi further stated,
“But, I have a very strong petition against you that borders on security, unity, and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation.
“And I think that the petition has to be considered in this screening exercise.”
Karimi then proceeded to lay the petition before Jibrin Barau, the deputy senate president, who was presiding over the screening exercise at the time.
Barau in response said,
“I don’t know if you followed the normal process, but this is the opportunity for nominees to explain and showcase themselves, later we will come to confirmation and approval.”
Meanwhile, after making his presentation, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary refused to take the petition, leveled against the former governor and said a number of petitions were submitted against a number of the ministerial nominees.
Also, during the screening a petition against Dalandi about a court judgment restricting him from holding public office for 10 years was presented to the senate.
Copies of some petitions against Okotette in the Public Space also confirmed that there were a number of petitions against the former Nexim Bank, Okotete, including non-disclosure of assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The list of 45 ministerial nominees confirmed by the Senate are;
- Abubakar Kyari (Borno)
- Abubakar Momoh (Edo)
- Nyesom Wike – Rivers
- Engr Joseph Utserv (Benue)
- Senator John Owan Enoh (Cross River)
- Hon Bello Mohammad (Sokoto)
- Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa)
- Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi)
- Uju Kennedy Ohaneye (Anambra)
- Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo)
- Nkieruka Onyejeocha (Abia)
- Dr Betta Edu (Cross River State)
- imaan Sulieman Ibrahim (Nasarawa)
- David Umahi (Ebonyi)
- Adebayo Olawale Edun (Ogun)
- Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (Katsina)
- Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji (Enugu)
- Mr Dele Alake (Ekiti)
- Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo)
- Mohammed Idris (Niger)
- Prof Ali Pate (Bauchi)
- Dr Doris Anite Uzoka (Imo)
- Lateef Fabemi SAN (Kwara)
- Rt Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom)
- Hannatu Musawa (Katsina)
- Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe)
- Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger)
- Hieneken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa)
- Alkali Ahmed Saidu (Gombe)
- Dr Tanko Sununu (Kebbi)
- Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi)
- Bello Matawalle (Zamfara)
- Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun)
- Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau)
- Abdullahi Tijani Muhammad Gwarzo (Kano)
- Bosun Tijani (Ogun)
- Dr Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure (Kano)
- Dr Iziaq Salako (Ogun)
- Dr Tunji Alausa (Lagos)
- Lola Ade-John (Lagos)
- Prof Tahir Mamman SAN (Adamawa)
- Zephaniah Jisalo (FCT)
- Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Taraba)
- Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu (Kogi)
- Festus Keyamo SAN (Delta)
