President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of seven ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Buhari's letter was read on the floor of the Senate Tuesday by its President, Ahmad Lawan at the start of plenary.
The nominees are:
- Henry Ikechukwu (Abia)
- Umana Umana (Akwa-Ibom)
- Ekuma Joseph (Ebonyi)
- Umar Yakub (Kano)
- Ademola Adegorioye (Ondo)
- Odo Udi (Rivers)
- and Goodluck Obia (Imo)
They are to replace the ministers who resigned in May to contest in the primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some of the cabinet members who resigned to contest in the presidential primary are Godswill Akpabio, Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
Others are Uche Ogar who contested and won in the factional Abia State governorship primary and Tayo Alasoadura who contested and lost in the APC Senatorial primary.
They had resigned in accordance with the provisions of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act which states that “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
The Appeal Court had declared the section unconstitutional, but the case was moved to the Supreme Court for a final decision.
