President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a revised list of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for approval, two months after the legislatur
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a revised list of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for approval, two months after the legislature rejected his first list. Besides former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen and a former member of the House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, who rejected their nomination and were dropped from the second list, other notable names dropped by Buhari include Senator Olorunmimbe Mamora and George Oguntade, a retired Supreme Court Judge.
Also, Adegboyega Ogunwusi, an elder brother of the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, was also dropped. Lagos, which had three slots in the first list, now has two, with the removal of Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora. A slot was also taken from Rivers State, leaving it with one nominee. The Federal Capital Territory and Imo State, which had no representation in the first list, now have a nominee each on the second list.
State governors, especially from the ruling All Progressives Congress, had protested against their non-involvement in the selection of the non-career ambassadorial nominees by Buhari. It was learnt that the governors and ministers on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had last year complained that the earlier nominees were drawn from their respective states without consultations with them. After Senate President Bukola Saraki read the new nominees on Thursday, Abuja Senator, Phillip Aduda thanked Buhari for nominating an indigene of Abuja this time.
The Senate had on November 15, 2016, rejected the first version of the list after receiving over 250 petitions against the nominees. Due to the controversy in the nominations, the lawmakers had resolved that the first list be sent back to President Buhari for representation and re-jigging. The Senate took the decision based on the recommendation of its Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Full List of the new nominees are:
Uzoma Eminike (Abia)
Aminu Lawal (Adamawa);
Godwin Umoh (Akwa Ibom);
Christopher Okeke (Anambra);
Yusuf Maitama (Bauchi);
Baba Maigudu (Bauchi);
Stanley Douye (Bayelsa);
Stephen Uba (Benue);
Baba Ahmed Gida (Borno);
Utobong Asuquo (Cross River);
Frank Ofegina (Delta);
Joda Udoh (Ebonyi);
Yagwe Ede (Edo);
Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti);
Chris Eze (Enugu);
Sulieman Hassan (Gombe);
Sylvanus Usofo (Imo);
Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa);
Ahmed Bamilli (Kaduna);
Deborah Yahaya (Kaduna);
1.Abdulkadir (Kano);
Haruna Arungungu (Kano);
Musa Udo (Katsina),
Mohammed Rimi (Katsina);
Tijani Bande (Kebbi);
1.Aliu (Kogi);
Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara),
Mohammed Isa (Kwara);
Adesola Omotade (Lagos);
Modupe Remi (Lagos);
Musa Mohammed (Nasarawa);
Ahmed Ibeto; Niger;
Susan Aderonke Folarin (Ogun);
Jacob Daudu (Ondo);
Afolayon Adeyemi (Osun);
1.Olaniyi (Oyo);
James Dmika (Plateau);
Haruna Abdullahi (Plateau);
Orji Ngofa (Rivers);
Sahibi Isa Dada (Sokoto);
Kabir Umar (Sokoto);
Jika Ado (Taraba);
Goni Zana (Yobe);
Garba T. (Zamfara);
Bala Mohammad (Zamfara); and
Ibrahim Dada (FCT).
