President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate to confirm Balarabe Abbas Lawal who he replaced Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Kaduna State for ministerial nomination.
President Tinubu also requested the Senate to confirm the nomination of Jamila Bio Ibrahim from Kwara State and Ayodele Olawande from Ondo State as Minister.
Their nomination was announced in a communication forwarded to that effect and read on floor of the Senate by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
Recall that the Senate had in August, after the screening of the first 48 ministerial nominees forwarded to it in July by President Tinubu, confirmed 45 and withheld confirmation of three.
The two other nominees rejected then were Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.
However, the Senate adjourned the plenary to Wednesday but did not fix a date for screening and confirming the new three nominees.
The replacement was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President GodsWill Akpabio at the plenary on Tuesday.
El-Rufai’s nomination was controversial, with some senators raising concerns about his security and human rights record.
Read alsoTinubu blamed for El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination blockage
Balarabe is a former commissioner for youth development in Kaduna State and has a PhD in political science from the University of Jos.
It is unclear why Tinubu chose to replace El-Rufai with Balarabe, but it is possible that he was concerned about the negative publicity surrounding El-Rufai’s nomination.
It remains to be seen how Balarabe will perform as minister.
