El-Rufai, Okotete, Danladi’s Confirmation On Hold As Senate Confirms 45 Nominees

*As El-Rufai, Others Await Security Clearance

The Senate confirmed 45 ministerial nominees out of 48 presented by President Bola Tinubu in three separate batches during a late Monday evening session.

However, the confirmation for three nominees was postponed due to security concerns. The affected individuals are Nasir El-Rufai from Kaduna, Stella Okotete from Delta State, and Abubakar Sani Danladi from Taraba State.

Earlier that day, a contentious episode unfolded in the Senate when Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central), the Senate Minority Whip, raised an issue regarding Festus Keyamo, a ministerial nominee from Delta State, during his screening.

Senator Nwokocha accused Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th National Assembly and labeling the previous Assembly as corrupt. This accusation arose from Keyamo’s failure to appear before the Senate to explain the execution of the special works program during his tenure as a Minister in the previous Buhari administration.

The program, which received a budget of N52 billion, was overseen by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and aimed to employ 1,000 unskilled youths for a three-month period in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the nation. Beneficiaries were expected to undertake public service tasks and receive a monthly stipend of N20,000.

Senator Nwokocha raised concerns about Keyamo’s refusal to address the Senate’s queries, leading him to propose the suspension of Keyamo’s screening. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia-South) seconded the motion.

After a divided voice vote, Senate President Akpabio accepted a suggestion from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to convene a closed-door session for further deliberation.

Following the closed session, Festus Keyamo expressed an unconditional apology. He clarified that the complete register of program beneficiaries, along with their account details and BVNs, was under the custody of the NDE.

Senator Godiya Akwashiki (SDP, Nasarawa South) encouraged his fellow senators to accept Keyamo’s apology. Subsequently, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) proposed a motion to accept Keyamo’s apology and allow him to proceed. Senator Barinada Mpigi (PDP, Rivers) seconded the motion. Senate President Akpabio then instructed Keyamo to take a ‘bow and go’.

Following this incident, the Senate briefly adjourned and later reconvened to continue the confirmation hearings for the ministerial nominees. The week-long screening process began on Monday, July 31, 2023, and concluded on Monday, August 7, 2023.

The confirmed ministerial nominees are as follows, except for Nasir El-Rufai, Stella Okotete, and Abubakar Sani Danladi, who are awaiting “security clearance” as stated by Senate President Akpabio:

1. Akwa Ibom: Ekperikpe Ekpo

2. Bayelsa: Heineken Lolokpobri

3. Cross River: Betta Edu

4 Cross River: John Owan Enoh

5. Delta: Stella Okotete X

6 . Delta: Festus Keyamo

7. Edo: Abubakar Momoh

8. Rivers: Nyesom Wike

9. Adamawa: Tahir Mamman

10. Bauchi: Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

11. Bauchi: Ali Pate

12. Borno: Abubakar Kyari

13. Gombe: Alkali Ahmed Saidu

14. Taraba: Uba Maigari Ahmadu

15. Yobe: Ibrahim Geidam

16. Taraba: Sani A Danladi X

17. Jigawa: Mohamed Badaru

18. Kaduna: Nasir El-Rufai X

19. Kano: Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure

20. Kano: Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo

21. Katsina: Ahmad Dangiwa

22. Katsina: Hannatu Musawa

23. Kebbi: Yusuf Tanko Sununu

24. Kebbi: Atiku Bagudu

25. Sokoto: Bello M Goronyo

26. Zamfara: Bello Matawwalle

27. Abia: Nkiru Onyejiocha

28. Anambra: Uju Ohaneye

29. Ebonyi: David Umahi

30. Enugu: Uche Nnaji

31. Imo: Doris Uzoka

32. Ekiti: Dele Alake

33. Lagos: Tunji Alausa

34. Lagos: Lola Ade John

35. Ogun: Ishak Salako

36. Ogun: Bosun Tijani

37. Ogun: Olawale Edun

38. Ondo: Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo

39. Osun: Adegboyega Oyetola

40. Oyo: Adebayo Adelabu

41. Benue: Joseph Utsev

42. FCT: Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo

43. Kogi: Shaibu Abubakar Audu

44. Kwara: Lateef Fagbemi, SAN

45. Nasarawa: Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim

46. Niger: Mohammed Idris

47. Niger: Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi

48. Plateau: Simon Bako Lalong