Senate delay El-Rufai over security clearance, confirms Wike, others as ministers

The Senate approved the appointment of 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu.

The nominees were confirmed on Monday evening after the upper legislative chamber concluded the screening of the candidates.

However, El-Rufai, Delta State’s Stella Okotete, and Taraba State’s Sani A Danladi were not confirmed as the Senate awaits security clearance about them.

Those confirmed include Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Bayelsa – Heineken Lolokpobri, Cross River – Betta Edu, Cross River – John Owan Enoh, Delta: Festus Keyamo, Edo: Abubakar Momoh, Rivers: Nyesom Wike, Adamawa: Tahir Mamman, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Bauchi: Ali Pate, Borno: Abubakar Kyari, Gombe: Alkali Ahmed Saidu, Taraba: Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Yobe: Ibrahim Geidam, Jigawa: Mohamed Badaru, Kano: Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure and Kano: Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo.

Others confirmed are Katsina: Ahmad Dangiwa, Katsina: Hannatu Musawa, Kebbi: Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Kebbi: Atiku Bagudu, Sokoto: Bello M Goronyo, Zamfara: Bello Matawwalle, Abia: Nkiru Onyejiocha, Anambra: Uju Ohaneye, Ebonyi: David Umahi, Enugu: Uche Nnaji, Imo: Doris Uzoka, Ekiti: Dele Alake, Lagos: Tunji Alausa and Lagos: Lola Ade John.

Amongst ministerial nominees confirmed is Ogun: Ishak Salako, Ogun: Bosun Tijani, Olawale Edun, Ondo: Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Osun: Adegboyega Oyetola, Oyo: Adebayo Adelabu, Benue: Joseph Utsev, FCT: Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo, Kogi: Shaibu Abubakar Audu, Kwara: Lateef Fagbemi, Nasarawa: Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Niger: Mohammed Idris, Niger: Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and Plateau: Simon Bako Lalong.

Prior to their confirmation, there was an uproar in the Senate after the Senate Minority Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central), raised an issue against Keyamo, a ministerial nominee from Delta State, when he appeared for screening.

Nwokocha had accused Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th National Assembly and accusing the last Assembly of being corrupt when he was summoned to give explanation on the implementation of the special works programme under his purview as a Minister in the last Buhari administration.

The Senate later moved to a closed-door session afterwhich President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the confirmation of the nominees after they were cleared by a voice vote by the senators at the plenary.

The senators had cleared the nominees by voice vote at the Committee of the Whole when Akpabio read out their names one after the other.