The governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has sent a second list of commissioner-nominees to the state house of assembly for screening and approval after the Mudashiru Obasa-led Lagos State Assembly declined to confirm 17 of the 39 commissioners initially submitted.
At Monday’s plenary, House Speaker Mudashiru Obasa announced the receipt of the nominations list, News About Nigeria reports.
The state legislature rejected to confirm 17 of the 39 commissioner-nominees nominated by the governor in the initial list provided to the house on August 23.
The nominees that the legislature did not approve included six former commissioners from Sanwo-Olu’s first term.
For declining to confirm the 17 nominations, the state Assembly came under fire. However, Obasa responded to criticism by claiming that the governor and parliamentarians had not engaged in any form of dispute.
“There is no basis for the house or myself to fight the governor. The governor is a friend and colleague in serving Lagos state,” he had said.
“We will continue to work together and there is no reason to fight. But we have constitutional rights to say yes or no to his nominees.”
In the midst of the commissioner-nominees confirmation controversy, Sanwo-Olu and the speaker recently met with the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
Akin Abayomi, the former commissioner of health who had previously not been approved, made the second list supplied by the governor, according to Obasa, who was speaking at the plenary on Monday.
He urged the committee in charge of the initial list to also assess the new nominees, noting that the panel has until September 9 to submit its findings to the parliament.
“Some of the nominees have their documents with you, and you can reach out to the new nominees. I want you to be thorough and do the needful while carrying out this exercise,” he said.
