In a session on Monday, the Senate confirmed the appointments of 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu. The confirmation was conducted through a voice vote, and these nominees were cleared by the senators during the plenary.
However, the Senate deferred the confirmation of three nominees pending security clearance. The individuals affected are Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State; Sani Danladi, a former senator from Taraba; and Stella Okotete, a nominee from Delta State.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the announcement of the confirmed nominees after the voice vote was conducted during the plenary. The Senate had already cleared the nominees by voice vote during the Committee of the Whole session, where the names were read out by Akpabio.
Following this, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele proposed a motion for the Senate to return to the plenary and report on the progress made. This motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwom.
During the session, the Senate also screened the last two nominees, Mariya Mahmoud (Kano) and Festus Keyamo (Delta), in the presence of Committee of the Whole presided over by Mr. Akpabio. President Tinubu had nominated both Mr. Keyamo and Mrs. Mahmoud on Friday.
Over the previous week, the Senate had screened a total of 46 nominees. The President submitted the nominees’ names in three separate communications to the National Assembly on July 28, August 3, and August 4.
The Senate confirmed the nominees from various zones across the country as follows:
Despite the confirmation, the Senate deferred the confirmation of Nasir El-Rufai, Sani Danladi, and Stella Okotete pending security clearance.
Source: Premium Times
