The hidden intention behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s current nomination of four ministers is alleged to have been connected with his 2015 second term ambition.
*President Goodluck Jonathan
The ministers who were appointed on Wednesday are Ibrahim Shekarau, a former Governor of Kano State, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, Dr. Stephen Orhu and Dr. Abdul Bulama. The new ministers have all in one way or the other gotten their pound of flesh against their previous parties.
It was gathered that Shekarau was part of moves by the President to generate support for his 2015 ambition in Kano State as the state recorded the highest number of voters in the country as at 2011 election with about 5,135,415 voters.
Shekarau, who is one of the founding fathers of the All Progressives Congress, contested the presidential election in 2011 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party.
He recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party when his political foe and the state Governor, Rabiu Kwakwanso, dumped the PDP for the APC. His anger became aggravated when the APC national leadership handed over the party’s structure to Kwakwanso, asking him to go and work with the state governor.
It would be recalled that the president left Abuja for Kano to formally receive Shekarau into the PDP barely 24 hours after the dreaded Boko Haram sect bombed a bus terminal in Nyanya, which killed over 75 people on the spot with scores of others injured.
The President’s move, however, generated a lot of criticism from Nigerians at home and abroad.
On the other hand, it was also gathered that Adeyeye, was appointed for stepping down for the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.
Adeyeye is expected to help the PDP build its support base in the state ahead of 2015 elections while Dr. Oruh of Delta State, who is the incumbent National Vice-Chairman, South-South of the PDP, is expected to draw from his experience as a party mobiliser to consolidate the party’s hold on the zone.
Three out of the four ministerial nominees will fill the gaps created by the exit of the former Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe (Delta); a former Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade (Ekiti); and a former Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama (Yobe).
It will be recalled that Hadjia Jamilia Salik from Kano State was among the 12 ministerial nominees forwarded to the Senate for confirmation by the President in January but she was not screened.
However, Kwara and Anambra states had yet to get ministerial nominees to fill their slots following the removal of the former Sports Minister, Mr. Bolaji Abdulahi, as well as the removal of Ms. Stella Oduah, as the Aviation Minister.
When the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, was contacted for comments over Shekarau’s nomination, he said, “I am not surprised. It simply shows you the level of self-interest. I won’t say more than that for now.”
The mobile phone of Alhaji Umar Doguwa, Kano State Chairman of the APC was switched off when contacted.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan on Wednesday evening met with members of the PDP Board of Trustees inside the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting which started at about 8:00pm had in attendance Vice-President Namadi Sambo by their chairman, Chief Anthony Anenih.
The meeting which held behind closed-doors came 24 hours after members of the party’s national caucus met at the same venue.
It was gathered that the party leaders will continue their consultation on Thursday (today) at the national headquarters of the party where the meeting of its National Executive Committee would take place.
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