The mood at the national secretariat of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) yesterday was that of disappointment, frustration and anger,
following the news that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent the names of
certain persons to be appointed ministers to the Department of State Services
(DSS) and were already being screened.
The supposed
nominations had generated heated discussions among top party chieftains and
staff at the national secretariat yesterday, even as some National Working
Committee (NWC) members were locked in a meeting with governorship aspirants
from Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile,
another source at the APC Secretariat, however, revealed that President Buhari
was considering some of the party leaders for appointment as ambassadors to
Nigeria’s embassies and missions abroad.
Prominent
among those that may get the ambassadorial appointment are the national
chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a national leader and former
governor of old Abia State, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu.
It was
gathered that out of seven NWC members who had shown interest in becoming
ministers, four names were sent to President Buhari for his consideration.
A source at
the secretariat who craved anonymity said Buhari had appointed the current
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. B.D. Lawal out of the four
names submitted by the party leaders.
“It was not
clear, however, whether the president would honour the remaining names,” the
source said.
Reports in
some quarters had it that the Presidency had forwarded about 20 names to the
DSS for screening.
In the list of
those who were said to have been screened by the DSS are former presidential
candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, Femi Falana (SAN), a former Governor of Osun State,
Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former finance commissioner in Lagos State, Wale Edun
and Former Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Limited, Festus Odimegwu.
Others said to
be on the list are Abubakar Malami (SAN), former Chief of Army, Lt.-Gen.
Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); and former chief executive of the Federal Inland
Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui- Okaru.
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