Senate Suspends Approval For Tinubu’s Minister.

Senate.

The Senate has put on hold the confirmation of Kingsley Udeh (SAN) as a minister due to the absence of his security clearance.

The plenary session, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday, was expected to finalise Udeh’s confirmation, but lawmakers agreed that the exercise could not proceed without the mandatory security report.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier forwarded Udeh’s name to the Senate for confirmation as minister representing Enugu State. His nomination followed the resignation of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who stepped down last month amid controversy surrounding his academic qualifications.

Nnaji’s resignation created a ministerial vacancy for Enugu State, prompting President Tinubu to nominate Udeh in line with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires Senate approval for all ministerial appointments.

After the President’s letter was read on Tuesday, the Senate referred Udeh’s nomination to the Committee of the Whole for screening. However, when the matter came up again on Wednesday, Akpabio announced that the screening and confirmation could not proceed until the necessary security clearance was received.

Although it was mentioned that Udeh might bring the clearance document to the National Assembly, several senators objected, arguing that waiting for it during the plenary session would contravene legislative procedure.

Following the development, the Senate went into a closed-door session to deliberate on other national issues, leaving Udeh’s confirmation pending until the required report is submitted.