“Abdullahi Gumel, the senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on National Assembly Matters (Senate), announced that the confirmed list of 45 ministerial nominees has been sent to the presidency. Gumel shared this information during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Senate confirmed the appointment of 45 ministerial nominees, while the confirmation of three others was put on hold. Among those not confirmed were Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, Abubakar Danladi, and Stella Okete. Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, explained that the three were awaiting security clearance and thus were not confirmed.
Gumel stated, “We transmitted the confirmed list on Monday around 11:30 p.m. to the chief of staff to the president. The executive now possesses the list, indicating that the ministerial nominees have been approved by the Senate.”
He expressed gratitude to the senators who postponed their recess and remained committed to screening and confirming the nominees for the sake of the country. Gumel further noted the lack of opposition during the Senate proceedings and praised the dedication displayed by the senators.
“I’m immensely thankful to the 10th Senate for making the work of those of us representing the executive branch incredibly smooth and engaging,” Gumel added.”
“Thus, confirming the designations of the ministerial nominees is an act of presidential benevolence,” Gumel remarked.
He also clarified that the count of nominees had increased from the customary 42 to 48.
“We’ve expanded the count of ministerial nominees from our typical 42,” he explained.
“The president submitted 48 names, so we believed that some ministries, particularly the larger ones, needed to be merged or divided to ensure efficient oversight by the Senate. For instance, we opted to separate the ministry of works and housing.”
“This adjustment was made to accommodate the number of ministers. The president will assign them portfolios to facilitate the functioning of the government. It’s solely the president’s prerogative,” Gumel stated.
He further highlighted that the nominees were selected from various sectors, including the private sector, technocrats, politicians, governors, both serving and non-serving senators, members of the House of Representatives, as well as Nigerian women and youth.
“They will contribute to realizing the ‘Renewed Hope’ vision, as Nigerians eagerly anticipate the president’s government to begin its operations.”
