Stella Okotete, who is the Executive Director of Business Development at the Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, has talked about her disqualification as a ministerial nominee by the Senate. President Bola Tinubu had recommended Okotete, along with Nasir el-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna, and Danladi Abubakar, a nominee from Tabara state, for screening and confirmation by the Senate as ministerial nominees.

However, the Senate did not approve Okotete’s nomination, along with the others, citing security reports against them. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had said that the upper legislative chamber was waiting for the security clearance on the three nominees.

In 2020, Okotete was appointed as the national women leader of the All Progressives Congress’ caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC).

Speaking in an online interview on “Mic on Podcast” on Saturday, Okotete stated that the refusal of the Senate to clear her as a nominee was “purely political games”. She said she would not have remained a director in the NEXIM bank if she was a security threat to the country, and 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,” she said, “I think some people tried to stop me from serving the country on a higher platform and they didn’t succeed.”

Okotete said those fighting her are doing so because of their fears that she may vie for the 2027 Delta governorship election. However, she added that there is no such intention to join the race to the Delta state government house in 2027.

“Most of the people fighting Stella Okotete today are envious,” she said. “I will be 40 years old in April. At 36, I was the national woman 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 an 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.”