Eleven states of the federation will have to wait as President Bola Tinubu forwarded a list of 28 ministerial nominees through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila to the Senate for screening and confirmation, yesterday.
Tinubu’s ministerial list is dominated by former governors, ex-senators, House of Representatives members and strong political allies believed to have worked for his victory at the polls.
The number of names sent was 28, with no state of origin attached and with a promise that more names would follow soon, as Adamawa, Kogi, Lagos, Anambra and Bayelsa states are missing on the list.
Those on the list include Abubakar Momoh (Edo); Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi); Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina); Hannatu Musawa (Katsina); Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Betta Edu (Cross River); Doris Uzoka (Imo); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (Rivers); and Muhammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).
Others are Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Ekperipe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom); Nkeiruka Onyejocha (Abia); Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo); Stella Okotete (Delta); Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Anambra); Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto); Dele Alake (Ekiti); and Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara).
Also on the list are Mohammad Idris (Niger); Olawale Edun (Ogun); Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Imman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa); Ali Pate (Bauchi); Joseph Utsev (Benue); Abubakar Kyari (Borno); John Enoh (Cross River); and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).
The list was delivered by the former speaker, House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajiabiamila, who entered the hallowed chamber at 1.18pm and delivered the letter, in consonance with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution.
Minutes after emerging from a closed door session which started at 12.18pm, the Senate did what had not been done before, invoking section 1(a), 1(b) and section 12 of its standing rules to admit Gbajabiamila into the chamber to deliver the much-awaited communication from the President
The letter which was addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, made it the first time a Chief of Staff would come personally to the chamber to present any executive communication directly to the president of the Senate.
