President sends list of 7 ministerial nominees to Senate for confirmation

 

.As Red Chamber  gets new Minority Leader

.3 senators dump APC for PDP

 

By Adekunle Adesuji

 

 

 

The Senate has received request for the confirmation vof seven Ministerial nominees from President Muhammadu Buhari as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

The request was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and read on the floor at the start of plenary on Tuesday.

 

President Buhari, in the letter, explained that the confirmation request was in accordance with the provisions of Section 147 subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

 

The nominees for confirmation include: Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh – Abia State; Umana Okon Umana – Akwa Ibom State; Ekumankama Joseph Nkama- Ebonyi State; and Goodluck Nana Opiah – Imo State.

 

Others are Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub – Kano State; Ademola Adewole Adegoroye – Ondo State; and Odum Odi – Rivers State.

 

In another development,  the Peoples Democratic Party has nominated Senator Philip Aduda as the new Minority Leader of the Senate.

 

Also nominated was Senator Chukwuka Utazi as the new Minority Whip.

 

The nominations were contained in a letter signed by the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

 

The letter was read at the start of plenary by the Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

 

Aduda’s nomination was sequel to the resignation of the former Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

 

Abaribe, last week, formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

 

Also, the PDP in its letter to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, explained that Senator Utazi’s nomination as the new Minority Whip, was as a result of the elevation of Senator Aduda to the position of Minority Leader.

 

Also at plenary on Tuesday, three APC senators official defected to the PDP

 

They are, Isa Kaita (Katsina North); Lawal Gumau (Bauchi South) and Francis Alimikhena (Edo North)

 

They cited internal crisis within the local chapters of their parties as reasons for their actions.

 

Their separate letters was read by the Senate President,Ahmad Lawan.