Intrigues as Tinubu’s associates in S’West jostle for ministerial slots

Jostle for ministerial appointments has commenced in most states of the federation ahead of the May 29 inauguration of the Bola Tinubu administration, especially in the South West. The president-elect has promised to hit the ground running immediately he comes on board, and it is expected that he will name his cabinet in less than a month This explains commencement of lobbying for ministerial slots among some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the moment.

Among the states, where lobbying for ministerial positions is said to be intense at the moment are Lagos, Ekiti and Oyo. Section 147(3), which speaks on the need to appoint a minister from each state of thefederation, servesonemajor purpose. It reinforces Section 14(3) in terms of ensuring that the federal character of Nigeria is reflected in the appointment of ministers.

Accordingly, it enjoins the president to ensure that a minister is appointed from each state of the federation. New Telegraph learnt APC chieftains positioning themselves in Lagos State are former Governor Babatunde Fashola, who is the incumbent Minister of Works and Housing; Minister of Science and Technology, Olorunnimbe Mamora; ex-Commissioner for Finance in the state, Wale Edun; erstwhile Minister of State for Defence, Musliu Obanikoro; a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and the state Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello. The contenders in Oyo are the APC governorship candidate in the state, SenatorTeslimFolarin; hisAccord Party counterpart, Adebayo Adelabu; former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu; Executive Secretary, NationalSugar Development Council, ZachAdedeji; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, and Senator Rilwan Akanbi.

IncontentioninEkitiState areformerGovernorKayode Fayemi; ex-Commissionerfor Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Dele Alake, and aformerMinisterof Statefor Works, Dayo Adeyeye. Almost all the contenders are close political associates of Tinubu – a development, an APC South-West source, say might ruffle feathers within the President-elect’s camp at the home front.

He said: “There’s no disputing the fact that most of Tinubu’s political associates in the South-West have their eyes on the cabinet, but I will tell you that it is going to be a tough one to predict those who will make it, given their respective pedigrees. “How can one dismiss Fashola, who not only served as Chief of Staff to Tinubu, but later succeeded him as governor of Lagos State, or Wale Edun and Dele Alake, who served as commissioners under Tinubu? “Are we also talking about Fayemi, Tunji Bello, Sunday Dare, Mamora or Adeyeye, who is the brain behind the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), which was in the forefront of Tinubu’s presidential project?” Asked how Tinubu will accommodate these Associates, given that each state is entitled to a ministerial slot, the source said besides Wale Edun, who has been tipped to lead Tinubu’s economic team as Minister of Finance, Fashola is likely to return to the federal cabinet on geopolitical consideration. On who is likely to get the ministerial slot for Oyo State, the source said it is almost a done deal for Senator Folarin as a sort of compensation for his loss of the governorship position although Dare is in strong contention. The source, however, said that it is a dicey situation in Ekiti, where Fayemi, Alake and Adeyeye hail from.

According to him, whereas Fayemi is eminently qualified to make the cabinet, given his experience as a two-term governor and former minister, it would be difficult for Tinubu to drop Alake, who has been his close ally since his days as governor. “You will recall that Alake served as Director of Strategic Communication of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 elections, while the role by the Adeyeye-led SWAGA in mobilising support for Tinubu right from the onset cannot be overemphasized. So, it is a difficult moment for the President-elect as he pencils down members of his cabinet.

“However, given that Tinubu is a man blessed with uncanny ability to identify political as well as electoral assets, I have no fear that he will navigate the situation and come up with a list that will not only accommodate all interests but personalities, who deliver on his campaign promises,” the source said. (New Telegraph)