On Wednesday, the Lagos State House of Assembly endorsed 22 out of the 39 cabinet nominees recently submitted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening.
Presiding over the day’s plenary, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, commended the thorough and meticulous examination of the nominees carried out by an ad hoc committee headed by the Chief Whip of the House, Fatai Mojeed. Obasa emphasized that the confirmation was the outcome of this diligent screening process.
He encouraged the confirmed appointees to consistently bear in mind that their duty is to serve the state’s populace and not any specific individuals. Obasa also pledged the Assembly’s ongoing dedication to safeguarding the state’s best interests.
In contrast, 17 of the nominees faced rejection during the confirmation procedure, conducted via a voice vote, with the Speaker announcing each nominee’s name.
Responding to inquiries about the reasons for these rejections, the representative for Ikorodu Constituency II, Aro Abiodun, noted that he could only speak for his constituency and not for the entire Assembly.
Additionally, when The PUNCH reached out to the chairman of the screening committee and Chief Whip of the House, Fatai Mojeed, he conveyed in a text message, “It was a decision of (all) 40 members (of the House).”
A former House member, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that nominees could be rejected for multiple reasons. He outlined possibilities including lack of membership in the APC party, controversial qualifications, security or criminal concerns, unexplained terminations from previous roles, and more.
When asked if there could be a chance for the rejected nominees to receive clearance at a later stage, the former lawmaker asserted, “No, they won’t be cleared. The governor will need to propose different names.”
Meanwhile, Gboyega Akosile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, conveyed in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH that the governor had yet to officially receive the screening and confirmation results. Consequently, the governor’s office was still unaware of the reasons behind the reported rejection of specific nominees.
Akosile remarked, “Mr. Governor has not received it officially; we are only hearing about it through the media. Thus, we will await the Speaker’s official communication to the governor in order to ascertain the governor’s appropriate response.”
Among the rejected nominees are: Folashade Adefisayo, Akin Abayomi, Yomi Oluyomi, Folashade Ambrose, Barakat Bakare, Gbenga Omotosho, Olalere Odusote, Rotimi Fashola, Bolaji Dada, Sam Egube, Olalekan Fatodu, Solape Hammond, Mosopefolu George, Aramide Adeyoye, Seun Osiyemi, Rotimi Ogunwuyi, and Olumide Oluyinka.
