JUST IN: Senate halts confirmation of Kingsley Udeh as minister, gives reason

The Senate on Wednesday paused the confirmation of Kingsley Udeh (SAN) as a ministerial nominee due to the absence of a mandatory security clearance.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while presiding over plenary, announced that the chamber could not proceed with the confirmation until the required security report on Udeh was submitted.

“The confirmation of the minister-nominee would have been next on the list, but we need security clearance,” Akpabio told his colleagues.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, on Tuesday, requested the Senate to confirm Udeh, from Enugu State, as minister. The request was contained in a letter read by Akpabio during plenary.

The President said the nomination was made in line with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers him to appoint ministers subject to Senate confirmation.

Udeh’s nomination followed the resignation of Uche Nnaji, former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who stepped down last month amid controversy over his academic credentials including questions surrounding a degree allegedly obtained from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Nnaji, the only cabinet member from Enugu State, resigned after mounting public pressure and calls for his replacement, leaving the state without representation in the Federal Executive Council.

After reading the President’s letter on Tuesday, Akpabio referred Udeh’s nomination to the Committee of the Whole for screening and further legislative action.

However, when the matter came up on the Order Paper on Wednesday, Akpabio announced that the confirmation would not proceed due to the pending clearance.

He hinted, however, that one of the senators had informed him that the nominee was already on his way to the National Assembly with the security clearance letter.

But Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) cautioned against compromising institutional procedures, insisting that the Senate must not act outside established norms.

“This is an institution. I have nothing against the young man; I know him. But let’s respect this institution. You can’t wait for the nominee because he’s coming with a security clearance letter. No, that’s not done,” Ningi said.

In response, Akpabio clarified that the Senate had no intention of waiting indefinitely, saying, “I don’t even have any intention of waiting for anybody because after screening them, you don’t see them again.”

The Senate President then directed the Senate Leader to move a motion for a closed-door session to deliberate on “national issues.” The motion was seconded, and the lawmakers subsequently dissolved into an executive session.

(DailyTrust)