The Senate chamber erupted in laughter on Wednesday during the screening of Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, the ministerial nominee from Kano State, as Senator Rufai Hanga lightheartedly remarked that he felt “threatened” by Ata’s appointment.
The comment came when Senate President Godswill Akpabio invited Hanga, representing Kano Central and a member of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), to share his thoughts on the nominee, a former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly.
Hanga’s playful remark, delivered with a smile, brought a moment of levity to the session, with senators joining in the laughter as they engaged in the screening process.
Hanga said, “The appointment of this political juggernaut threatens me because we are from the same senatorial district. He is a grassroots politician who was my ally, but that said, I’m in support of his nomination.”
But Akpabio, in his response, told Hanga that there was no cause for alarm, describing him as a nice person and team player.
“Despite the party differences, you are all united in supporting the nominee,” he said.
Earlier, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) urged his colleagues to allow the nominee to bow and go, given that he was a parliamentarian in Kano.
Specifically, Kawu described the nominee as a grassroots politician who started politics from scratch and deeply connected with the masses.
Contributing, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for nominating Ata as a minister.
“I commend Mr. President for nominating this gentleman for this post. Senator Kawu has said it all. He is a strong grassroots politician who started from scratch and got to the top, just as our President. We are always eager to sit with Mr President because he is open.
“In fact, since the inception of democracy in this country in 1999, there has been no time since we have elected a president who started from scratch and has reached the top. Our President started from scratch to the top.
“That is why he knows all parts of the country. If you talk about Ebonyi State, he will tell you about its configuration. If you are talking about the State of Akwa Ibom, he is just like an encyclopedia; he will tell the names of the major stakeholders there. That is why he has decided that this gentleman (Ata) should be a minister because he understands the configuration of Kano State.
“If you go to Kano, our people are praising Mr. President for bringing about inclusion. The nominee is a strategist. He is known for his political sagacity. He is known by all and sundry: the youth, the Ulama, the students, women, and the business community; everybody likes him because he interacts with them freely.
“Kano will now be taken back by the APC, Insha Allah. We had a vacuum, and he will now fill it. We are grateful to Mr President in Kano. He recently gave us the North West Development Commission headquarters, NWDC. Kano is grateful to Mr President. We shall continue to support your government, and we shall continue to help strengthen your desire for prosperity for this nation,” he said.
