President Bola Tinubu
Eko Hot Blog reports that President Bola Tinubu is set to forward his ministerial list to the Senate for screening and confirmation and there are already indications that some former governors and technocrats are on the 42-man list.
According to Guardian, there are “strong indications” that no fewer than five former governors will feature in the president’s list of nominees that is heading to the Senate for approval between now and next week.
The unusual list, already dubbed the ‘cabinet of (political) unity’, will have nominees drawn from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and many technocrats, the newspaper reported.
Guardian further reported that some of the former governors that might have been penciled down to be part of the final list to be submitted to the Senate included former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai
Others are Abdulahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Muhammad Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers).
President Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike
It was also gathered that former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel is being favoured ahead of Senator Ibikunle Amosun for the ministerial list.
Former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, is also being considered for a Foreign Affairs Minister role. He had served in the last administration as Minister of Mines and Steel.
President Bola Tinubu’s handshake across party lines has already elicited contests and intrigues in political camps over choice of suitable representatives in some of the key states.
So far, Tinubu has received ex-governors of Enugu and Abia states, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, in that order. They were among the G-5 governors of the PDP that refused to back their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
While it is not clear whether Ikpeazu could make the list, that of Ugwuanyi is said to be a done deal based on his closeness with the president and his efforts to unite segments of the country as governor.
In a related development, the APC in Rivers State has denied ceding any ministerial nomination slot to Wike.
But there may be enough slots to go round sought-after persons.
The Guardian learnt that barring last minute change, the cabinet will be as bloated as what former President Muhammadu Buhari had, but with major realignments in portfolios.
In Lagos, which is the President’s forte, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, a banker, is being primed to emerge as the new Finance Minister.
His switch over from the Senate, where he currently represents Lagos East senatorial district, is to pave way for the return of former Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, into the President’s political family.
After his recent reconciliation with his godfather, Ambode is reportedly being positioned to replace Abiru in the Senate.
Tinubu has less than 20 days left out of the 60 allowed by the Constitution for him to send his list of Ministers to the Senate for screening.
According to a new amendment to the 1999 Constitution, the president and governors must submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.
He was sworn-in on May 29, and already 42 days since coming onboard.
The presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, earlier told Nigerians to expect Tinubu’s ministerial roll call within the first 30 days in office, as a departure for his predecessor that took six months to inaugurate one.
In May, Alake said: “A month maximum is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”
However, last Thursday, he reclined on that timeline, saying it was the President’s sole prerogative to appoint persons into the new cabinet “when he is good and ready.”
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