Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Executive Director of Business Development, Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Stella Okotete, has broken her silence about her disqualification as a ministerial nominee by the senate.
Okotete’s name was on the list of ministerial nomineees sent to senate for screening and confirmation by President Bola Tinubu.
But the senate did not clear Okotete, Nasir el-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, and Danladi Abubakar, a nominee from Tabara State, citing security reports against them.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had said the upper legislative chamber was waiting for the security clearance on the three nominees.
Speaking in an online interview, ‘Mic on Podcast’ on Saturday, Okotete said the refusal of the senate to clear her as a nominee was “purely political games.”
The former APC Women Leader said she would not have remained a director in NEXIM bank if she was a security threat to the country.
Okotete added that she is not under investigation by any security outfit in the country.
“I was not beaten out of the game of becoming a minister, I think some people tried to stop me from serving the country on a higher platform and they didn’t succeed.
“I’m sure; logically speaking, if I’m a security threat or I have security issues, I won’t still be the ED of NEXIM Bank,” she said.
Okotete said those fighting her are doing so because of their fears that she may vie for the 2027 governorship election in Delta State.
She added that she has no intention to join the Delta State governorship race in 2027.
“Most of the people fighting Stelle Okotete today are all out of envy. I will be 40 years old in April.
“At 40, who can say they have seen through all the tiers of the government, from LG to state and the federal government?
“At 36, I was the national women leader for the party and still the executive director of NEXIM. I’m sure in Nigeria, there is no woman who has held two positions of such, simultaneously.
“It is all envy. I have made impact. I understand their fears and worries. I even told those who cared to listen that I don’t have the intention…
“Some of the fears are about 2027. You know how these politicians think. I’m not vying for governor of Delta State,” Okotete said.
