Senate begins screening of three new ministerial nominees

The Senate has commenced the screening of three additional new ministerial nominees nominated by President Bola Tinubu at its resumed plenary today.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, read a letter from President Tinubu requesting the confirmation of three additional ministerial nominees.

The nominees that are currently being screened include: Balarabe Abbas Lawal from Kaduna State, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim from Kwara State and Mr Ayodele Olawande from Ondo State.

Recall that the Senate, in August 2023, screened and confirmed 45 ministerial nominees and rejected three of them.

But, one of the notable ministerial nominees that were not confirmed include former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The two other nominees rejected then were Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.

A lawmaker had raised concern over a “serious petition” against El-Rufai during the screening ceremony.

Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi West had drawn the attention of the lawmakers to the petitions against the former FCT minister.

“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,” he said after El-Rufai’s presentation.

“But, I have a very strong petition against you that borders on security, unity, and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation,” the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker added. “And I think that the petition has to be considered in this screening exercise.”