Maryam Shetty, the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader and ministerial nominee from Kano State, was unexpectedly taken off the list without any disclosed reasons.
Certainly, I recall that after the initial batch of 28 nominations had undergone screening, President Bola Tinubu forwarded Maryam Shetty’s name, along with 18 other cabinet nominees, to the Senate for their review and confirmation process.
On Wednesday, Maryam Shetty’s nomination generated conflicting responses from APC members on social media. Some raised concerns about her experience, while others alleged that Abdullahi Ganduje, the party’s national chairman, had shown favoritism towards her.
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Before her Senate screening, Mariya Mahmoud, the former Commissioner for Higher Education in Kano, assumed the position in place of Maryam Shetty on Friday.
The withdrawal of Maryam Shetty’s name during the Senate plenary came as a surprise to her. At the entrance of the Senate, she and her supporters were informed that Mariya Mahmoud’s name had been substituted for hers.
According to The Cable, it is claimed that Maryam Shetty’s name was removed from the list of potential ministers due to her strong support for former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The evidence from social media shows that Shetty actively backed Osinbajo in his campaign for the APC presidential nomination and to succeed former President Muhammadu Buhari. She shared tweets, photos, and videos from Osinbajo’s presidential campaign, including his declaration to run for president on April 11, 2022, and his nationwide consultations. This apparent support for Osinbajo may have been a factor in her name being withdrawn from the ministerial nominee list.