A Few ex-governors may have been
among those President Muhammadu Buhari alleged, last week, to be putting him
under pressure on the constitution of his next cabinet.
The Nation reports that the
ex-governors want ministerial appointments for themselves or be allowed to
recommend nominees from their states.
But damning security reports on
the financial dealings of some of the ex-governors while in office may count
against them, sources said.
One of them is alleged to have
been sharing of dollars to those he thought could help push his case to become
a minister.
But a few of them, who are
desperate, have recommended ministerial nominees in case Buhari cannot
accommodate them.
It was also gathered that some
serving governors are already pleading with the President to allow them make
input into the selection of nominees from their states.
Investigation by our
correspondent revealed that the ex-governors accounted for most of the pressure
on the President.
The ex-governors were said to be
seeking ministerial slots or wanted their nominees for “political ego” because
they want to remain godfathers in their respective states.
Some incumbent governors are
lobbying to get their loyalists appointed as part of the strategy to stop
independent-minded ministers from either succeeding them or becoming the
rallying point in their states.
A top source said: “For political
relevance, ex-governors are foremost among those mounting pressure on the
President. They don’t want to lose out of the political equation in their
states.
“They are whipping up sentiments
on the roles they played in backing Buhari for second term and how they have
stabilized the National Assembly for him with the emergence of the President of
the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Femi Gbajabiamila.
“Most of them want to retain the
godfather status in their states. Some of them also want the ministerial ticket
as a kind of immunity against prosecution by the Buhari administration.
“But security reports do not
favour most of them at all. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as at
December 31, 2018 indicated that states were then indebted to the tune of
N3.853trillion. “These debts were either mismanaged or unjustified.
“Some of these governors are
under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
mismanaging their state resources. Yet, the same former state chief executives
want to be ministers. Justifying their appointments will be difficult for the
President. This is one of the factors for the pressure being faced by the
President.”
Responding to a question, the
source added: “These ex-governors have become so desperate such that one of
them is sharing dollars to lobbyists who have the ears of the President.
“But the cash-for-ministerial
ticket lobbying is a waste because the President has refused to listen to
anyone. He has warned members of his family and aides against such indulgence.
He has not only kept his ex-ministers in suspense, it has been difficult for
governors to know his mind set.
“He does not discuss cabinet
issue with his closest aides. Anyone dishing out cash to lobbyists is wasting
his money. That era is gone in this country for now.”
Investigation also revealed that
those who have information about the ministerial list, especially security agents conducting the
screening, have been put on oath to stop the list from leaking to the public
before its dispatch to the Senate for confirmation.
“All the agents in charge at the
Department of State Security Service (DSS) are on oath and once there is any
leak, it can be easily traced,” a highly placed source said.
“Everyone is abiding by the oath because
Buhari is a man of Spartan discipline who can impose maximum sanctions if you
betray any trust.”
Section 147(1-3), provides that
the President has to run his government with at least 36 ministers at one each
per state.
The section reads: “There shall be such offices of Ministers of
the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President.
“Any appointment to the office of
Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any
person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President.
“Any appointment under subsection
(2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions
of section 14(3) of this Constitution:
“Provided that in giving effect
to the Provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one Minister
from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state.”
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