Commissioner-nominees: Akin Abayomi included as Sanwo-Olu sends new list to Lagos assembly

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, has sent a second list of commissioner-nominees to the state house of assembly for screening and confirmation.

Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house, announced the receipt of the nominees list at the plenary on Monday.

On August 23, the state assembly declined to confirm 17 out of 39 commissioner-nominees recommended by the governor in the first list sent to the house.

Six former commissioners who served in the first term of Sanwo-Olu were among the nominees not cleared by the assembly.

There were criticisms against the house of assembly for refusing to confirm the 17 nominees.

Reacting to the backlash, Obasa said there was no fight between the lawmakers and the governor.

“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.”

Sanwo-Olu and the speaker had recently met with the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, amid the commissioner-nominees confirmation row.

Speaking at the plenary on Monday, Obasa said Akin Abayomi, the former commissioner of health, who was previously not cleared, made the second list sent by the governor.

He called on the committee that handled the first list to take responsibility for reviewing the new nominees, adding that the panel has until September 9 to report back to the house.

“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.