In a surprising turn of events, President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the nomination of Maryam Shetty as a minister, while adding two new names to the list of ministerial nominees.
The announcement was made as the screening of ministerial nominees resumed at the Senate on Friday.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter from President Tinubu during the plenary session, officially communicating his decision to withdraw Maryam Shetty’s nomination.
Shetty, who was originally nominated from Kano state, will now be replaced by Mariga Mahmoud, another nominee hailing from Kano.
In addition to the replacement, President Tinubu has also added Festus Keyamo, a former minister of state for Labour, to the nomination list.
Keyamo’s inclusion now brings the total number of ministerial nominees to 48.
The recent development comes just days after President Tinubu had submitted the initial list of 28 ministerial nominees to the Senate.
An additional 19 names were added to the list on Wednesday, setting the stage for a comprehensive vetting process by the Senate.