President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr. Abbas Lawal Balarabe from Kaduna State as a minister.
The President’s request was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which was read on the floor during plenary.
President Tinubu requested the Senate to confirm Balarabe and two other ministerial nominees – Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande.
Last month, the Presidency announced the nomination of Ibrahim and Olawande, following their nomination by President Tinubu to serve as the Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth, pending their confirmation by the Senate.
Balarabe was reportedly nominated to replace El-Rufai, whose nomination the Senate had rejected.
Balarabe had chaired a 65-man transition committee ahead of the swearing-in of Senator Uba Sani as governor of Kaduna State on May 29.
He was a Secretary to the Kaduna State Government (SSG) and had headed the transition committee of the state in 2015 and served as the vice chairman of the committee in 2019.
The Red Chamber had, in August, declined to confirm three ministerial nominees, including El-Rufai, Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi (Taraba), and Stella Okotete (Delta) over non-security clearance.
In his letter, President Tinubu urged the Senate to consider his request expeditiously.
