On Tuesday, in the House of Lords, there was an uproar and slight drama during the ongoing screening of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees.

The commotion arose when Nasir el-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, narrowly avoided facing opposition from Senator Sunday Karimi (APC Kogi West). Senator Karimi moved against el-Rufai based on an alleged petition seeking to halt his screening process.

Senator Karimi, who disclosed that the petition, which he was holding in a brown envelope, borders on the issue of insecurity, said: “Mr President, I have a petition written against the nominee over the issue of insecurity in Southern Kaduna when he was governor. If I am permitted, I will like to read the petition.”

As El-Rufai was about to address the alleged petition, a chorus of loud murmurs of “no, no, no” from the majority of the senators opposed his comments, prompting the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to intervene and prevent him from speaking further on the matter.

Akpabio declined to accept the petition, clarifying that several petitions were submitted against some ministerial nominees. He emphasized that the chamber does not entertain petitions against any nominee.

He said: “This is not the place to consider petitions, we will sit with the petitions later and refer them to relevant authorities. Please, take a bow and go, my brother.” 

El-Rufai had previously listed his accomplishments as the Governor of Kaduna State and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He then proceeded to answer questions from the lawmakers.

Senator Suleiman Kwari (PDP Kaduna North) requested his colleagues to grant the former governor a “bow and go” opportunity, which was supported by all three Senators from Kaduna State, who are members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This move aimed to expedite the screening process for El-Rufai’s confirmation as a minister.

On the other hand, Olawale Edun, the nominee from Ogun State and former Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, faced rigorous questioning from the lawmakers, lasting more than an hour. Edun emphasized Nigeria’s vast human and material resources, believing that the country has no justification to remain poor. He expressed support for fuel subsidy removal and unification of foreign exchange, acknowledging the associated hardships for the citizens but remained optimistic that these policies would lead to sustainable economic development.

The Senate also granted a reasonable period of time to the ministerial nominee from Katsina State, Musa Dangiwa, who was alleged to have recently paid his tax for the last three years just before his nomination.

The final nominee to be screened, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, the Special Adviser to the President on Arts, Culture, and Entertainment, became emotional during her presentation. The Senate President intervened, reminding her not to deliver a presidential address. Following this, Senator Elisha Abbo, representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, appealed to his colleagues to grant her the “bow and go” privilege due to her impressive resume. The majority of the lawmakers approved this request, and the Senate President signaled the conclusion of the session with a gavel bang.

In total, nine nominees were screened during the day’s session, with the remaining five of the first batch of 28 nominees scheduled for screening on Wednesday.