An uproar erupted at the Senate special plenary session on Monday during the screening of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees. The nominee from Benue State, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, faced questioning after discrepancies were found in his statements about his primary education.

Initially, Prof. Utsev claimed to be born in 1980 and started primary school in 1984. However, during further questioning by Senator Tokunbo Abiru representing Lagos East, the nominee reiterated his claim, which led to murmuring and eventually an uproar in the Senate chamber.

Senator Patrick Abba Moro from Benue State was asked to comment on the situation by the Senate President in an effort to resolve the matter. However, his intervention only fueled more uproar as he referred to the discrepancies as mere typographical errors.

The session remained tense as Senators debated the issue, leaving the final decision on the nominee’s screening in question.

(Leadership)