The Senate begins screening the first batch of ministerial nominees for President Bola Tinubu during plenary in the upper chamber on Monday afternoon.
Ministerial nominees, including a former Rivers State governor, have completed documentation for the National Assembly’s red chamber screening, with 20 out of 28 candidates completing the process.
The Senate unveiled President Tinubu’s first ministerial list on July 27, 2023, and Abdullahi Gumel asked ministerial nominees to complete their documentation before screening. Femi Gbajabiamila presented Tinubu’s list to the Senate after a long wait.
The President must appoint at least one minister from each of the 36 states, but 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory have not yet had ministerial nominees.
The President has requested confirmation of ministerial nominees in a letter to the Senate. The first set of nominations was overshadowed by politicians, including ex-governors and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Four former governors, four presidential spokesmans, and five senior advocates were included in the list of ministerial nominees. The list includes 25.5% women and 75% men, with women including Betta Edu, Doris Aniche Uzoka, Hannatu Musawa, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Stella Okotete, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, and Iman Suleiman Ibrahim.
The Tinubu administration submitted his ministerial list to the National Assembly before the 60-day constitutional deadline, as mandated by the Fifth Amendment to the 1999 Constitution.
