President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has submitted the name of Kingsley Tochukwu Ude, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Enugu State, to the Senate for confirmation as a minister.
The request was made in a formal letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary session. The Senate President then referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and screening.
Ude’s nomination comes after the resignation of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who represented Enugu State in the Federal Executive Council. Nnaji stepped down last month following controversies surrounding his academic qualifications, including his degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
With Nnaji’s resignation, Enugu State had been left without representation in the federal cabinet. President Tinubu’s nomination of Kingsley Ude is therefore aimed at filling the vacant ministerial position and restoring the state’s presence in the current administration.
The Senate is expected to conduct the screening of the nominee in the coming days.