By Nazifi Haruna
President Muhammadu Buhari has re-sent to the Senate an updated list of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees, excluding the names of all those who had issues with their appointments in the initial list.
A letter read by Senate President Bukola Saraki on Thursday announced the receipt of the new list from the Presidency.
“We submit the revised list of 46 non-career ambassadors for confirmation as ambassadors by the distinguished Senate. It is my hope that this will receive the usual attention of the senate,” the letter read.
A careful observation of the revised list shows that names of some nominees that were contained in the initial list were substituted with those of new nominees after many state governors and some of the candidates themselves rejected the appointments.
The missing names include Usman Bugaje, former Plateau State deputy governor Pauline Tallen, Adegboyega Ogunwusi, brother of Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the ooni of Ife; George Oguntade, a former Supreme Court judge; Olorunnibe Mamora, a former senator representing Lagos East.
Mr. Buhari first submitted the list in November last year, but was forced to withraw it after the Senate rejected it due to protests by many state governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against the nominations.
The president had reportedly promised to look into the concerns of the state governors during several meetings with them on the issue.
However, other nominees like those of Katsina and Plateau States Mr. Bugaji and Mrs Tallen respectively turned down their own appointments on personal reasons.
