Tinubu government: Jostle for juicy positions begins
The scramble for top positions in the cabinet of President-elect Bola Tinubu has commenced ahead of the forthcoming inauguration on May 29.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on March 1, declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagbearer the winner of the keenly contested presidential poll.
Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar – Labour Party, LP, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates, respectively, rejected the results and are challenging the victory at the tribunal.
But the APC and its supporters are gearing up for the swearing in of Tinubu and running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, insisting the election was won fair and square.
Taking into cognizance a bill President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed into law, Tinubu must submit ministerial nominees to the Senate within 60 days of assuming office.
DAILY POST gathered that the race for appointment is in two categories, presidency and ministerial, though one has at least three subdivisions.
Under the presidency, offices to be filled include Chief of Staff, CoS, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Special Advisers, SAs, and Senior Special Assistants, SSAs.
Party sources, who hinted at likely appointees, said capacity, loyalty, work ethics, efforts during campaign, impact on Tinubu’s election, among other factors, would be considered.
Below is a list of individuals that may get presidency and ministerial designation:
Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The lawyer, first elected in 2003, represents Surulere I constituency in Lagos State.
Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, is a former two-term governor of Lagos State. He was Tinubu’s Chief of Staff during his second term as Lagos governor.
James Faleke, Secretary, APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, is a House of Representatives member. First elected in 2011, he represents Ikeja federal constituency in Lagos.
Major General Abdulmalik Jibril (retd), Director of Intelligence and Security, PCC, is Nigeria Legion chairman: heads the Presidential Think Tank on Defence and Security, PTTDS.
Nuhu Ribadu, ex-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The former police officer headed the Petroleum Revenue Task Force.
Abdullahi Ganduje: The two-term governor of Kano State was the deputy governor all through the tenure of former governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso
Nasir El-Rufai, two-term governor of Kaduna State, served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. He was Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE.
Bello Matawalle: The governor of Zamfara State was formerly the House of Representatives member for Bakura/Maradun federal constituency. He lost his re-election bid during the general election.
Simon Lalong, two-term governor of Plateau State and ex-Speaker of the House of Assembly, was Director-General of the APC Campaign Council
Atiku Bagudu, two-term governor of Kebbi State and ex-Senator, chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF. He is a Presidential Transition Council, PTC, member.
Wale Edun, a banker and Chapel Hill Denham Group chairman, was Commissioner for Finance throughout Tinubu’s tenure as governor. He is a member of the PTC.
Kayode Fayemi, a former two-term governor of Ekiti State, served in the Buhari administration as Minister of Mines and Steel Development.
Hadiza Bala Usman, Deputy Director (Administration) in the campaign council, was previously Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.
Festus Keyamo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. The Official Spokesperson of the APC PCC is the current Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
Babatunde Ogala, SAN. The former Legal Adviser of the party served as Head of Legal Directorate, Tinubu Campaign Organisation.
Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of Special Projects and New Media, PCC, was Minister of Aviation, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and SA on Public Affairs to the President.
Dele Alake, Director of Strategic Communication, PCC. He was Commissioner for Information and Strategy throughout Tinubu’s tenure as governor.
Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity, PCC- served in the Buhari administration as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Hannatu Musawa, an activist and legal practitioner, served as Deputy Director of Public Affairs in the APC Campaign Council.
Tunde Rahman, the Head of Tinubu Media Office. The former Editor of Thisday Newspaper is the founder Western Post Newspaper.
Others likely to play roles are campaign directors: Mohammed Idris, Strategic Communications; Aminu Jaji, Contact & Mobilization; Bello Goronyo, Youth Mobilization; Bobboi Kagama, Labour; Musa Babayo, Policy & Research, and Ade Omole, Diaspora.
Meanwhile, the battle for positions in the incoming government is already stoking tension in the party across the states.
In many states, party chieftains are being suspended for one reason or the other.
Within the last few days, chieftains of the party have either been expelled or suspended in Delta, Abia, Enugu and many other states.
In Delta, the Chairman of the NDDC, Lauretta Onochi and the governorship candidate of APC in the state, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege were suspended.
In Abia State, former Deputy Governor of Abia State, Dr Chris Akomas, former Minister of State for Solid Minerals, Dr Uche Ogah, former Pro-chancellor of the University of Calabar, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, the Executive Secretary of the National Land Development Agency (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, Hon. Sam Onuigbo and others were suspended.
In Enugu State a former governor of the State, Sullivan Chime, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu and a host of others were expelled, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, among others were suspended for alleged anti-party activities.
Okechukwu while reacting to his suspension said, “The story of my kinsman Ugo Agbala is the story of a failed chairman quarrelling with himself. He came from PDP akin to a political bandit and hijacked our great party with the assistance of His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo State.
“He drove all the stakeholders away and boasted he will quadruple the 56,000 we scored in the 2019 presidential election. Regrettably, he scored abysmally only 4,722. Instead of apologising, I cited his CV flying around at the president-elect’s house and APC HQ.
“This is why he is telling childish lies against some of us who are foundation members of APC, who sold the only plot of land in Enugu during my gubernatorial election in 2011. Ironically then Agbala was in the comfort zone of PDP, while we were constructing the APC structure.”
