THE SHAPE OF BUHARI’S CABINET

   ·Fashola, Amaechi, Kwankwaso, others being considered

   ·Don’t pre-empt president-elect, says Lai Mohammed

Ahead of the May 29 formal takeover of power by the President- elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the likely shape of his cabinet is gradually emerging. Sources told New Telegraph that the presidentelect has been holding meetings with the leadership of the party, stakeholders, close associates and personalities that influenced his election on the composition of his cabinet. Besides, it was learnt that Buhari mandated the APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, to head a team to search for “credible and competent Nigerians” who will form the cabinet of the incoming administration. Several familiar faces may surface as cabinet members in Buhari’s administration while the party leadership are expected to nominate people into the cabinet.

Vice-President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, might not have influence in the choice of ministerial nominees from the South-West because of the influence of Tinubu, it was learnt. According to the sources, three outgoing governors have been pencilled in as ministers. It was learnt that the president-elect has spoken to Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) on his plan to have them in his government.

Fashola is being tipped for the office of Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice while Kwankwaso, already a senator-elect, is being considered for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) slot. If the proposal sails through, Kwankwaso’s appointment will follow the recent tradition where FCT Minister are picked from the Senate. Senators Adamu Ailero and Bala Mohammed were appointed FCT ministers as serving senators. With the influence of Kwankwaso, who is a former Minister of Defence, Buhari got 1.9 million votes from Kano in the March 28 presidential poll, the highest from any state.

Contrary to speculations that Amaechi may be appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), New Telegraph learnt that he was being considered for a ministerial appointment. Amaechi heads the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation. The three governors will be appointed as ministers on zonal basis. Fashola will represent South-West, Kwankwaso and Amaechi will take the slot for North- West and South-South respectively. Lagos, Kano and Rivers are likely to get two ministers each in the new cabinet.

“The three governors will be part of Buhari’s cabinet. Don’t forget that the trio played crucial roles in the election of Buhari. Fashola was the head of Finance Committee, Amaechi was the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation while Kwankwaso delivered the highest number of votes to the president-elect. The governors are on top priority of people to be appointed ministers. “The office of the SGF is so sensitive to the government and Amaechi does not have the temperament for the office.

Surely, he will get an influential ministry,” the source said. In addition, it was gathered that a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahaman Bello Dambazau, is also being considered to be either the Minister of Defence or National Security Adviser (NSA). Dambazau, a holder of Doctorate in Criminology, was the Director of Security and Intelligence of the Buhari campaign organisation. The Secretary to the Borno State Government (SSG), Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, is being tipped as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) or in the alternative, he will be given a ministerial appointment. Jidda has been Borno’s SSG for more than 12 cumulative years.

Another figure likely to be in the Buhari’s cabinet is a former Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, who is a Tinubu’s protégé. Edun is presently in the United States attending the Work Bank meeting as the head of APC delegation that accompanied Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, to the event. It was learnt that Tinubu was pushing for Edun’s appointment to succeed Okonjo-Iweala. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo is rooting for erstwhile Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Soludo, for the position. Obasanjo, a former Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had a running battle with President Goodluck Jonathan and campaigned for the APC, is expected to nominate people into Buhari’s cabinet.

Deputy Director-General (Operations) of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation and former Lagos Speaker, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora, is being tipped as the Ogun State nominee. Former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, may represent Osun State in the cabinet. The candidacy of Oyinlola, a former National Secretary of PDP whose ouster was engineered by the party leadership before he defected to the APC, is being backed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Obasanjo.

It was also learnt that former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, will make the Buhari cabinet. Fayemi’s choice, one of the sources told New Telegraph, was against the will of Tinubu who preferred one of his former aides from the state. But Buhari is insisting on Fayemi’s candidacy on the strength of his contribution to his victory as the Head of Policy and Strategy of the Presidential Campaign Council and his handling of the national convention of the APC which produced Buhari as the party’s candidate. Also on the list is a former Minister of Communications and onetime National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who is to represent Benue State in the cabinet. Ogbeh was the head of Buhari Campaign Organisation until the former military ruler picked the APC presidential ticket in the December 2014 primaries.Senator Chris Ngige, who lost his re-election, is also being considered as nominee from Anambra State.

But a source said Ngige’s choice had not been finalised because his contribution to Buhari’s victory was minimal. The PDP trounced the APC in the South-East in the general elections. The APC National Vice- Chairman (North-East), Bibi Lawal, is also on the list of likely ministers. Lawal is one of the political associates of Buhari and has been with the former military ruler for more than 20 years. The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is another figure Buhari has shortlisted for appointment as minister.

There are speculations that Mohammed may head the Ministry of Information. It was also learnt that the Chief of Staff to the President-elect, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), will be given a separate appointment in the presidency but not in his present capacity. Ali is a former Military Administrator of Kaduna State. One of the sources said former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, though optimistic of a ministerial appointment, may end up as head of powerful Federal Government agency.

“Though Sylva is close to Buhari, he is being considered for another appointment, but not as a minister,” the source said. But an aide of the former governor, told New Telegraph that Sylva was hopeful of a ministerial appointment. Also likely to be in the cabinet is an activist and one of the pillars of #BringbackourGirls# campaign, Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman. Hadiza, daughter of the late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman, the radical lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, is expected to man the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) as Special Adviser.

Former Chief Economic Adviser to the late President, Tanimu Yakubu, may stage a comeback. “Tanimu will be in the government, but not likely as a minister. He will function in a different capacity,” the source said. It was learnt that a former Minister of Education and an ally of Obasanjo, Mrs. Obi Ezekwesili, was being considered for a ministerial initially, but the party leadership opposed her nomination for what it called her arrogance and hatred for the APC.

However, as a departure from the PDP, the national leadership of the APC will nominate ministers for Buhari. The outgoing government of PDP has a structure of ministers being nominated by governors. A Board of Trustees (BoT) member of APC told New Telegraph yesterday in Abuja that the president- elect had conceded the power to nominate ministers into his cabinet to the national leadership of the party. He explained that the view of the presidentelect on the ministerial nominees was that if they come from the leadership of the party, every member would owe his allegiance to the party. But if they come from the governors, party members would owe their allegiance to the governors, the source added.

New Telegraph, however, learnt that Buhari had saddled Tinubu with the task of searching for “credible and competent Nigerians” for the cabinet. A source said Tinubu would be assisted by Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; former Abia State Governor, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and Kaduna State Governorelect, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai, among others. Besides, the source added that APC leaders were apprehensive that the proposed cut in the cost of governance by the incoming Buhari administration would mean “less patronage to be dispensed by party stakeholders.” The source said one of the cardinal objectives of Buhari was to scout for “credible, competent and tested Nigerians across the geopolitical zones to hit the ground running from May 29.” He equally listed cut in costs of governance at all levels, including the National Assembly, as another major policy of the new leader.

The source, who is from the South-South, also expressed optimism that the APC would have a strong footing in the oil-rich region. He said: “The first major objective of the new leadership is to ensure that a crack team, made up of credible, competent and tested Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones, is put together by the president and I think this is being spear headed by the former Governor of Lagos State who has been mandated to scout for such persons without bias.”

Reacting to the composition of the incoming cabinet, Mohammed cautioned against pre-emptive comments, especially from leaders of the APC, saying only the presidentelect can make categorical statements on the policy direction of the incoming government. He said:”For God’s sake, why are we running faster than our shadows? It is highly preposterous for anyone to do this. General Buhari is a man of experience; policy direction and statements can only come from him or anyone directed by the party. “In all honesty, only the president-elect, the party chairman or the national publicity secretary can make statements as regards what direction the incoming government is going.”

Source: New Telegraph