In a stunning turn of events, the ministerial nominee from Kaduna State, Abbas Balarabe, collapsed during his screening before the Senate, sending shockwaves through the chamber. The incident occurred shortly after Balarabe had completed his presentation and as one of the Kaduna senators was commending his qualifications.
The Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, immediately reacted to the situation, urgently calling for water and sugar while requesting the presence of Dr. Musa. In response, a closed-door session was quickly convened.
Balarabe had been nominated as a replacement for the former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. His nomination was conveyed in a letter read by Akpabio during the plenary session on Tuesday. Alongside Balarabe, Dr. Jamila Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande were also nominated as Minister of Youths and Minister of State for Youths, respectively, by the President.
Notably, Balarabe previously served as the Secretary to the Kaduna State government and was appointed in April to lead a 65-member transition committee in preparation for the swearing-in of Uba Sani.
It is worth mentioning that in August, the Senate declined to confirm the nominations of El-Rufai, Stella Okotete (Delta State), and Abubakar Danlandi (Taraba State). These rejections followed the President’s submission of 48 nominees, with 45 ultimately being approved as ministers.
