Ministerial screening: Wike, El-Rufai, Umahi, others to appear for Senate Monday

The list of ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday is set to undergo screening by the Senate on Monday. The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), announced that all activities in the Upper Chamber have been suspended to commence the screening immediately.

Shortly after the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, read out the names of the 28 nominees on the floor of the Senate, Adaramodu stated, “Screening will commence on Monday. We have suspended all the rules to accommodate the screening of the nominees.”

Adaramodu further clarified that the Senate would not allocate time for nominees to talk during the screening. The process is scheduled to begin at 11 am on Monday and at 10 am on subsequent days, with no limitations on the hours or timing. The screening will be conducted in the presence of Nigerians, making it a transparent process.

The list of nominees unveiled by Akpabio included prominent individuals such as former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike (Rivers); former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); and former Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi (Ebonyi). Notably, the list comprises names from 25 states, leaving out 11 states, including Lagos, Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Plateau, Yobe, and Zamfara.

In a surprising development, Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, revealed that President Tinubu intends to create new ministries and will unveil another list of 13 ministerial nominees “in the coming days.” The nominees were sent to the Senate without specific portfolios attached to allow the President the flexibility to decide their roles.

Gbajabiamila expressed confidence in the nominees, stating that they can “fit in anywhere” except for specialised offices like the Attorney-General. He anticipated that the cabinet would be fully formed and functional within the next two weeks, and the Senate is expected to conduct thorough but efficient confirmation processes.