After a week of intense questioning for some and brief introductions for others, the Senate on Monday finally finished screening 45 of the 48 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, confirming them as cabinet members.
All but three of the nominations were approved following a series of voice votes called by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The remaining nominees, including Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, Stella Okotete, (Delta State) and Abubakar Danladi, (Taraba State) are reportedly still undergoing security clearance.
The confirmation of others comes over a week after Tinubu’s transmission of a 28-member list to the red chamber on July 27.
Last Monday, the Senate screened former governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike; Abubakar Kyari of Borno State; Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia State); Bello Muhammad (Sokoto State); Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba State); and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa State).
Others are Joseph Utsev (Benue State), Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo State), Betta Edu (Cross River State), Uju Kennedy Ohaneye (Anambra State), Abubakar Momoh (Edo State), John Enoh (Cross River State), Iman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa State), and Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi State).
The Senate on Tuesday screened ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Wale Edun, Uche Nnaji, Stella Okotete, Adebayo Adelabu, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Hannatu Musawa, and Musa Dangiwa.
The following day, the red chamber screened Dele Alake, Lateef Fagbemi and Muhammad Idris, Ali Pate, and Doris Uzoka.
Tinubu went on to send a supplementary list of 19 nominees to the Senate last Wednesday. Two days later, the President withdrew the nomination of Maryam Shetty of Kano State from the list, replacing her with Festus Keyamo and Mariya Mahmoud.
On Friday, the Senate screened Zephaniah Jisalo, Shuaibu Audu, Yusuf Sununu, Bello Matawalle, Alkali Saidu, Ahmed Gwarzo, Atiku Bagudu, Simon Lalong, Ibrahim Gaidam, Aliu Abdullahi, Gboyega Oyetola, Heineken Lokpobiri and Tunji Alausa.
The screening continued at Senate on Saturday with Lola Ade-John, Bosun Tijani, Isiak Salako, Tahir Mamman, and Maigari Ahmadu.
The exercise concluded today with the screening of Mahmoud and then Keyamo.