El-Rufai and two other candidates are awaiting approval as the Senate confirms 45 ministerial nominees

The announcements were made more than a week after Tinubu sent a list of 28 names to the red chamber on July 27.

After a week of rigorous questioning for some and brief introductions for others, the Senate finally completed the screening of 45 of the 48 ministerial nominations of President Bola Tinubu on Monday.

All but three of the nominations were confirmed following a series of voice votes called by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The remaining nominees who are apparently still awaiting security clearance include Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, Stella Okotete and  Abubakar Danladi.

The addition of further people comes more than a week after Tinubu sent a list of 28 people to the red chamber on July 27.

Nyesom Wike, a former governor of the state of Rivers, Abubakar Kyari, the state of Borno, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, the state of Abia, Bello Muhammad, the state of Sokoto, Sani Abubakar Danladi, the state of Taraba, and Badaru Abubakar, the state of Jigawa were all given Senate screenings last Monday.

Others are Joseph Utsev from Benue State, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo from Ondo State, Betta Edu from Cross River State, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye from Anambra State, Abubakar Momoh from Edo State, John Enoh from Cross River State, Iman Suleiman Ibrahim from Nasarawa State, and Yusuf Maitama Tuggar from Bauchi State.

In addition to ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, the Senate on Tuesday also screened Wale Edun, Uche Nnaji, Stella Okotete, Adebayo Adelabu, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Hannatu Musawa, and Musa Dangiwa.

The red chamber screened Ali Pate, Doris Uzoka, Lateef Fagbemi, and Muhammad Idris the following day.

Following that, Tinubu last Wednesday sent the Senate an additional list of 19 nominees. Two days later, the President substituted Festus Keyamo and Mariya Mahmoud for Maryam Shetty of Kano State on the list after withdrawing her nomination.

The following candidates were vetted by the Senate on Friday: Zephaniah Jisalo, Shuaibu Audu, Yusuf Sununu, Bello Matawalle, Alkali Saidu, Ahmed Gwarzo, Atiku Bagudu, Simon Lalong, Ibrahim Gaidam, Aliu Abdullahi, Gboyega Oyetola, Heineken Lokpobiri, and Tunji Alausa.

Lola Ade-John, Bosun Tijani, Isiak Salako, Tahir Mamman, and Maigari Ahmadu participated in Saturday’s showing at Senate.

Mahmoud and Keyamo were viewed today to bring the exercise to a close.