JUST IN: Senate Gives Nod To 45 Ministerial Nominees, Withholding Malam El-Rufai, Others

The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday confirmed 45 of the 48 ministerial nominees sent to it by President Bola Tinubu, while withholding three.

The three Nominees, which it withheld their confirmation are awaiting security clearance.

The affected nominees are chiefly the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, followed by a former senator from Taraba, Sani Danladi, and a nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the confirmation of the 45 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 Mr Akpabio read out their names one after the other.

After that, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, moved a motion for the Senate to revert to the plenary to report progress. The Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwom, seconded the motion.

Earlier, the upper legislative chamber screened the last two nominees – Mariya Mahmoud (Kano) and Festus Keyamo (Delta) at the Committee of the Whole presided over by Mr Akpabio.

The president nominated both Mr Keyamo and Mrs Mahmoud on Friday.

The Senate had previously screened 46 nominees between Monday and Saturday last week.

President Tinubu transmitted the names of the nominees in three separate correspondences to the upper house of the National Assembly on 28 July, 3 August and 4 August.