President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday replaced the erstwhile ministerial nominee from Kaduna State and the immediate past governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai with a former Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, SSG, Abbas Lawal Balarabe.
This was announced in an executive communication forwarded to that effect and read during plenary by President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Balarabe, apart from serving as the SSG from 2019 to 2023, was a Special Assistant to the President in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister from 2003 to 2007.
His last appointment was the chairman of a 65-member transition committee that ushered in the present administration of Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State.
The Senate had in August after screening of the first 48 ministerial nominees forwarded to it in July by President Tinubu, confirmed 45 and withheld confirmation of three.
Apart from El-Rufai, the two other nominees rejected then were Ms Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.