The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Ganduje has explained what led to the withdrawal of Maryam Shetty as a ministerial nominee.

Shetty’s nomination was withdrawn while awaiting her screening by the Senate last week.

The Nation reports she was replaced with Dr. Mariya Mahmoud.

Speaking in an interview on Freedom Radio monitored by The Nation, Ganduje alleged that Maryam Shetty’s name was “smuggled” into the ministerial list.

Ganduje however assured that she would be considered for another appointment.

He said: “In the process of appointing ministers, the president has people who will advise him from different states. Also, it is the prerogative of the president to appoint whoever he deems fit as minister.

“He also has the right to consult people from the state, because they are the ones who know the people who are fit to occupy such office.

“But what happened in this case is that we were not consulted. So we just heard her name on air. Initially, we didn’t complain, taking into consideration that Mr President has the right to appoint anyone. And as loyalists of the president who understand democracy, we accepted his choice.

“But again, we don’t know her, and since we don’t know her, we can’t vouch for her competency for the job.

“Also, the President’s attention was drawn to the social media reactions that followed her nomination. Sometimes people take actions, thinking they won’t be caught. But you will be surprised that all your actions are in the public domain. That’s what happened in this case.

“The reactions became so intense, and people were questioning her competency, and worthiness to represent Kano State.

“These concerns were not raised by Ganduje, but the masses. The president was also shown the social media reactions, and he sought my opinion.

“Clearly, I told him, I don’t know who she is. He asked if there was a need to replace her, and I answered in the affirmative.

“Because these kinds of positions need someone with integrity, the person must also understand the job, and thirdly, what role did the person play in the formation of the government.

“So if you look at these qualities, we were the ones that needed to be consulted for any appointments coming from Kano State.

“Even though I don’t know all the competent people from Kano, at least our advice needs to be sought when people make recommendations, but that didn’t happen in this case.

“So the president gave us the opportunity to make a replacement with the emphasis that it must be a woman. After consultation with critical stakeholders, we settled for the new nominee, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure. From hearing the name, Bunkure, You know where she hailed from.”

By Alao Abiodun

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