Ministerial List: What Buhari Did That Shocked Tinubu & Osinbajo

Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola
Tinubu, are reportedly upset that Buhari's ministerial list doesn't contain the
names of their nominees.


 It was learnt that the ministerial list, comprising 21
names, did not feature any of the nominees compiled by Tinubu for the South-
West, which is regarded as his major sphere of influence.


Even in Lagos State, which is Tinubu’s exclusive preserve, he did not have the
final say on who will represent the state in the cabinet. Rather than pick any
of his nominees for the cabinet, Buhari did it alone and even selected
Tinubu’s estranged godsons such as former Governors Babatunde Fashola
(Lagos) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti). Osinbajo, a protégé of Tinubu, also failed
to get Lagos-based lawyer and 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 was said to have made a case to the president four times to
consider Falana, without securing any commitment from Buhari.


 Instead of
Falana, the president opted for Fayemi, whom sources said was being
positioned to head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Osinbajo also rooted for
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. Kachikwu will serve as Minister of
State for Petroleum since the president has said he would hold the portfolio of
Minister of Petroleum Resources.


Tinubu, who had relocated to Abuja since Buhari came into power on May 29,
hurriedly returned to Lagos last Thursday. “Asiwaju was disappointed with the
ministerial list as none of his nominees made the Buhari’s cabinet.


He felt
used and dumped,” a senior party member told New Telegraph.
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. But a source in the presidency said the president sent
copies of the ministerial list he sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki to
Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

It was learnt that Tinubu received the ministerial list in company of his aides
and political associates, including former Interim National Chairman of APC,
Chief Bisi Akande. A source said Tinubu ran through the ministerial list 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. The discussion, it was learnt, centred on
the ministerial list after which Akande called the president requesting for an
audience.

 The president was said to have fixed a meeting for last Wednesday
at 11p.m. New Telegraph learnt that at the meeting, Akande sought to know
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 vicepresident, he has to allow other ‘tendencies’ in the South-
West to have a share of the appointments meant for the region.
Buhari explained that since Fayemi lost his reelection in Ekiti, he has served
the party in many capacities unlike Falana. Fayemi was the chairman of the
APC National Convention in Lagos where Buhari emerged as the party’s
presidential candidate and was the Director, Directorate of Policy and Strategy
of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.


On Fashola, the president said
Tinubu’s successor was chairman of the presidential fundraising committee
and he worked more for his campaign unlike Mr. Yemi Cardoso, a former
Lagos State Commissioner that Tinubu had proposed.


New Telegraph learnt
that Buhari had earlier told Fashola and Fayemi to reconcile with Tinubu to
ease their appointments. It was learnt that Fayemi, through the intervention of
Akande, met Tinubu in Lagos to rebuild their relationship.


A source said the
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, intervened on behalf of the former
governors to appease Tinubu.
The president also justified the choice of Mr. Adebayo Shittu as Oyo State
ministerial nominee.

 He added that Shittu had been with him since his days
in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Shittu, a 2007 CPC
governorship candidate in Oyo State, is not on good terms with Governor
Abiola Ajimobi.

 Buhari said 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 Peoples 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 the reasons adduced by the president for rejecting Tinubu’s
ministerial nominees, a group of young elements close to the president
worked against the APC leader. It was learnt that Governors Nasir el-Rufai
(Kaduna) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), former Rivers State Governor, Mr.
Rotimi Amaechi and Pastor Tunde Bakare played crucial roles in the choice of
the ministers.


It was learnt that the idea was to whittle down the political influence of
Tinubu as El-Rufai’s group was said to have impressed it on the president the
need to cut Tinubu to size before he takes over the government.

 But an
associate of Tinubu said his camp was not surprised about recent
developments. “We knew it was a conspiracy.


I can tell you El-Rufai and Tambuwal’s marriage is that of convenience
because the two of them have presidential ambition.

So, let’s see how it
plays out,” the source said. Also speaking on the ministerial list, National
Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, stated that Tinubu had
lost out in the Buhari’s government. Odumakin said: “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, also told New Telegraph that 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 told New Telegraph. Afenifere
chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said he was not surprised with Buhari’s
approach to governance.

“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,” Adebanjo said.
New Telegraph also gathered at the weekend that ahead of tomorrow’s
screening of the ministerial nominees, lobbying had begun among geopolitical
zones to corner portfolios considered juicy for their kinsmen. Senate President
Bukola Saraki is expected to read out the full list of 21 nominees who made
the first batch of the federal cabinet tomorrow.


Besides Fayemi and Fashola, other ministerial nominees included Senator
Chris Ngige, Amaechi, Lt-General Abdurrahman Dambazzau (rtd), Senator
Aisha Al-Hassan, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Mallam Abubakar
Malami (SAN) and Senator Sirika Hadi.


A top party source confided in New Telegraph that although Buhari could not
be directly approached by the nominees, their lobbyists commenced moves to
engage the services of those they considered close to the president to make a
case for them.

It was gathered that the most sought after ministries are those
of Justice, Works, Finance, Defence and Interior. For the Finance Ministry,
while some powerful APC elements are already said to have argued that the
portfolio had eluded the region for too long, APC leaders from the South-West
are also making a case for one of their own to be the next Finance Minister.
Same argument is being pushed in respect of the Agriculture Ministry.
For the Justice Ministry, Fashola and Malami are strong contenders, even as
close confidants of the president, like Alhaji Ahmed Joda, are favourably
disposed to Malami who once served as national legal adviser of the defunct
CPC.

 For the Works Ministry, some APC elders were said to be rooting for
Onu.
However, some Northerner leaders were said to be rooting for a nominee from
the zone, whose name is to be in the second batch of the ministerial
nominees to be sent to the Senate. The source said: ”I think lobby is part of
politics; it is allowed like the would be ministers are said to be doing with the
senators.


We like it because as a party, we have no intention to coerce the senators to
give the nominees a blanket clearance. Let all prove their worth before the
lawmakers.

”The only thing we find laughable is that aspect of going beyond
that level to scheme for specifics in the planned cabinet.
”You know that people are naturally insatiable in their wants, especially when
it comes to politics, nothing is seen to be enough until the last is given out.
”As a party, we all waited for this moment in anxiety and apprehension
because no one knew before now, I think no one still knows what is contained
there.
”But it is curious and unexpected that some persons are already lobbying to
be made minister of this, minister for this, it is wrong because the thing is
already generating interregional concerns among the party leadership. ”All we
know is that President Buhari has picked his team.
They have to work as a team and not what any of them desire to hold as a
portfolio. Only the president has the right to allocate offices and he should be
given the chance to so do. ”For God’s sake, what do we want a juicy ministry
for? Under the present arrangement, there is nothing like Grade A or B
ministry. So, for those who have the chance of being nominated that are
already lobbying for specific portfolios, they will be disappointed at the end of
the day.”