The national leadership of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) is in shock over the ministerial list released last
Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Although the list will be revealed on the
floor of the Senate on Tuesday, names of those who made the cut are already in
public domain. But some party leaders, especially Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo
and former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, are upset that the list
did not contain the names of their nominees.
Rather than pick the choice of ‘Jagaban’,
Buhari selected former Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) and Kayode Fayemi
(Ekiti), estranged political godsons of Tinubu.
Similarly, Osinbajo could not get human rights
activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on the list. Falana, (from Ekiti State), was
being tipped to emerge as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister
of Justice.
Osinbajo reportedly made a case to the
president more than twice to consider Falana. Instead, Buhari chose Fayemi, for
his hard work before and after the election.
Fayemi, who may head the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, was the chairman of the APC National Convention in Lagos and later the
Director, Directorate of Policy and Strategy of the APC Presidential Campaign
Council. Also, Osinbajo promoted the name of Prof. Pat Utomi as a ministerial
nominee for Delta State.
But the president opted for the Group Managing
Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu. He is expected to serve as Minister of State for Petroleum.
A senior party member told New Telegraph that
“Asiwaju was disappointed with the ministerial list as none of his nominees
made the Buhari’s cabinet. He felt used and dumped.”
“Tinubu invested his resources to prosecute
the Buhari presidential election such that the president’s wife, Aisha, said
the former governor drafted her to join the campaign train.”
The president, it was gathered, sent copies of
the ministerial list to Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun. Tinubu, who received the list in company of
his aides and political associates, including former Interim National Chairman
of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, looked through and was so surprised that he did not
utter a word. “Tinubu just took the list and called Chief
Akande into an inner room in his Abuja residence,” the source said.
Thereafter, Akande called the president
requesting for an audience. He got an appointment for 11p.m last Wednesday. At
the meeting, Akande asked why the president rejected Tinubu and South-West
leaders’ recommendations for the ministerial list.
Buhari was said to have told Akande that since
Tinubu produced the Vice President, others in South-West too should have a
share of the appointments meant for the region. Buhari reportedly hailed the
efforts of Fashola and Fayemi, saying they deserved compensation.
On Fashola, the president said apart from
being a two-term governor, he was chairman of the presidential fundraising
committee and he worked more for his campaign unlike Yemi Cardoso, a former
Lagos State Commissioner that Tinubu had proposed.
The president also justified the choice of
Adebayo Shittu as Oyo State ministerial nominee.He recalled that Shittu had
been with him since his days in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
Shittu was 2007 CPC governorship candidate in Oyo State.
For Ogun, Buhari explained that he had to
defer to Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on the state’s nominee,
because of their relationship since the days of the All Nigeria People’s Party
(ANPP).
While Buhari was the ANPP’s presidential
candidate in the 2007 general elections, Amosun was the gubernatorial candidate
of the party in Ogun State. Former National Auditor of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP), Chief Bode Mustapha, was the candidate of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo.
However, Buhari agreed to cede the Osun
ministerial slot to Obasanjo’s candidate, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former
governor of the State.
Besides, a group close to the president worked
against Tinubu.
They are Governors Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna) and
Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. The
trio, along with Pastor Tunde Bakare, were said to have played crucial roles in
the choice of the ministerial list.
They resolved to whittle down the political
influence of Tinubu because of the risk attached to allowing him have his
protégés in many positions. Speaking on the ministerial list, National
Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, stated that Tinubu had
lost out in the Buhari’s government.
“When a man thinks he’s too smart, he will
ultimately dribble himself. What has happened to Tinubu is that those he
launched all kinds of war against have become the victors. He never knew that
the attack he was launching against them was a way of actually helping those
people.
“President Buhari who appointed Fashola,
Fayemi and others doesn’t want people under Tinubu’s influence in his cabinet.
Now, he can’t begin to claim them after they have been appointed despite his
opposition.”
Former Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council
on National Conference, Senator Femi Okunroumu, in his reaction said his
prediction had come to pass that Tinubu would be humiliated by Buhari.
“I am having a good laugh. This is what I
expected. In any case, Tinubu is stretching his luck too far as he wants to
dictate who will rule Nigeria. Tinubu’s wings need to be clipped.”
“With the ministerial list, Tinubu has been
dumped. He should not just be dumped, he should be disgraced,” Okurounmu said. On
his part, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said he was not surprised
with Buhari’s approach. “I’m not disappointed at all. I warned before
the election that Buhari would not change, although he said he is a converted
democrat.
“APC is not a party; it is a gang of people whose sole aim was
to remove Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president. In a real party, you share the
spoils of office before elections not after elections. This is what is
happening in APC. We warned our people, but they failed to listen.”
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