PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has nominated Abbas Balarabe as a ministerial replacement for the former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The replacement was conveyed in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary on Tuesday.
Balarabe’s name was read alongside Dr Jamila Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande as Minister of Youths and Minister of State for Youths respectively, who were earlier nominated by the president.
The Senate in August 2023 screened and confirmed 45 ministerial nominees and rejected three of them. Notable among those not confirmed include former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The two other nominees rejected then were Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.
A lawmaker had raised concern over a “serious petition” against El-Rufai during the screening ceremony.
Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi West had drawn the attention of the lawmakers to the petitions against the former FCT minister.
“Your performance in any office you find yourself in the country has been outstanding. In the Bureau of Public Enterprises, your record is there, in FCT as a minister, your record is there, and as two-time governor of Kaduna state, you did well,” he said after El-Rufai’s presentation.
“But, I have a very strong petition against you that borders on security, unity, and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation,” the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker added. “And I think that the petition has to be considered in this screening exercise.”
