Tinubu nominates Abbas Balarabe to replace El-Rufai as minister

Tinubu nominates Abbas Balarabe to replace El-Rufai as minister

Abbas Balarabe has been nominated by President Bola Tinubu to replace the former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, as a minister.

This development was disclosed in a letter that was read during the Senate’s plenary on Tuesday by Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio.

Balarabe’s nomination was announced alongside the nominations of Dr. Jamila Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande for the positions of Minister of Youths and Minister of State for Youths, respectively, as previously put forth by the president.

Notably, El-Rufai’s name was notably absent from the list of ministerial nominees that had been confirmed by the Senate back in August. During the screening process, several petitions were presented, including one from Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), who raised concerns about insecurity in Southern Kaduna. Senator Karimi commended El-Rufai’s past performance in various public offices but brought up this specific issue in his petition.

In summary, President Bola Tinubu has nominated Abbas Balarabe to replace Nasir El-Rufai as a minister, and the Senate approved a total of 45 out of 48 nominees submitted by the President. During the screening, concerns were raised about El-Rufai’s handling of insecurity in Southern Kaduna, despite his commendable track record in previous roles.