Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that nomination by President Bola Tinubu does not automatically guarantee confirmation, stressing that the Senate retains full authority to approve or reject ministerial nominees based on its procedures.
He made the remark during plenary while addressing concerns surrounding the screening process and complaints from some nominees who were not confirmed after appearing before the upper chamber.
According to him, being invited for screening should not be mistaken for automatic approval, as the Senate has its own standards and final decision-making powers.
“Your appearance here does not mean that you have been confirmed. Because some people are blaming me all over that they came to the Senate for screening and they were not confirmed. It’s not compulsory that we confirm you. We have our own procedures. So you can come here and finish all the grammar and you leave, and we find out that it’s a comma and then we don’t confirm you,” he said.
Akpabio added that nominees can still be turned down even after appearing before lawmakers, depending on how they perform during screening and the collective judgement of the Senate.
He also noted that expressions made during screening, including expectations of confirmation, do not influence the final outcome, as decisions are taken collectively by senators.
During the session, he allowed lawmakers to proceed with questioning before putting it to a voice vote, after which he ruled in favour of continuing the screening process.
