ABUJA, Nigeria – President Bola Tinubu has officially nominated Abbas Balarabe as the replacement for the former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in a ministerial capacity.
The announcement came via a letter read by the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, during a plenary session held on Tuesday. Alongside Balarabe’s nomination, Dr. Jamila Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande were also put forward as Minister of Youths and Minister of State for Youths, respectively, by the President.
In August, there was notable absence of Nasir El-Rufai’s name from the list of ministerial nominees confirmed by the Senate, which raised questions about his political future.
The screening process involved a series of petitions, with Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) presenting one against the former governor. During the session, Karimi voiced concerns over the issue of insecurity in Southern Kaduna and presented the petition to the deputy senate president, Jibrin Barau, who was presiding over the screening at the time.
In response, Barau stated, “I don’t know if you followed the normal process, but this is the opportunity for nominees to explain and showcase themselves; later we will come to confirmation and approval.”
Despite the petition, several senators commended El-Rufai for his past performances in various offices, endorsing his competence for a ministerial role. The lawmaker representing Kaduna North, Ibrahim Kalid, also expressed his support, as well as that of his colleagues from Kaduna and the state’s residents, for El-Rufai’s nomination as a minister.
The Senate President did not accept the petition during the plenary session, stating that multiple petitions had been submitted against various ministerial nominees.
Details of the ministerial replacements and further developments will be reported as they emerge.