Tinubu nominates election losers as ministers in second batch

President Bola Tinubu has surprised many by nominating politicians who faced electoral defeats in the last election to serve in his government. A list of 19 persons in the second batch has been sent to the Senate, and among them are several politicians who failed to secure victory in their respective contests, IDOMA VOICE reports.

The nominees and how they lost:

1. Simon Lalong: The former governor of Plateau State lost the Senate seat to AVM Napoleon Bali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election.

2. Gboyega Oyetola: The Osun State Governor lost his re-election bid to Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 2022 gubernatorial election in the state.

3. Abubakar Bagudu: The former governor of Kebbi State lost the senatorial contest for Kebbi Central district to Adamu Aliero, another former governor of the state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

4. Governor Bello Matawalle: The Zamfara State Governor lost his reelection bid to Lawal Dare of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in March. Dare scored 377,726 votes to defeat Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle, who polled 311,976 votes.

5. Shuaibu Abubakar: Lost the Kogi State APC primary election.

Tinubu’s decision to include these election losers in his second batch of ministerial nominees has raised questions and sparked discussions about the rationale behind such choices. As the Senate reviews the list and deliberates on the nominations, the nation awaits the final outcome, wondering how these politicians’ past defeats will impact their roles in the government.