President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Ude (SAN) current Attorney General of Enugu state, as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The President, in a letter on Tuesday, asked the Senate to screen and confirm Dr. Ude. The letter was read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during today’s plenary session at the National Assembly.
Senator Akpabio immediately referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration and screening, signaling that the confirmation process could be fast-tracked.
Ude’s nomination comes weeks after the resignation of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who stepped down from Tinubu’s cabinet following a certificate scandal.
Nnaji resigned amid growing controversy over alleged discrepancies in his academic qualifications from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and questions surrounding his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
His resignation left Enugu State without a representative in the federal cabinet, a vacuum now set to be filled if Ude’s nomination is approved by the Senate.
Ude, a lawyer and newly conferred Senior Advocate of Nigeria, currently serves as Enugu State’s Commissioner for Justice.
His elevation to ministerial rank is seen as a strategic move by the Tinubu administration to maintain political balance and restore representation for Enugu in the federal cabinet.
