Jonathan ask PDP to compile ministerial nominees list

There are indications that President
Goodluck Jonathan had directed the
Bamanga Tukur faction of the Peoples
Democratic Party to compile names of its
members for minsiterial positions.

A member of the National Working
Committee of the faction, who made this
known to Newslinegossips in Abuja on Sunday,
said the directive was already being
complied with.

Jonathan, in his first major cabinet shake-
up since his inauguration on May 29, 2011,
had on Wednesday sacked nine ministers.
The sacked ministers were Prof. Ruqayyatu
Rufai (Education), Okon Ewa-Bassey
(Science and Technology), Olugbenga
Ashiru (Foreign Affairs), Hadiza Mailafia
(Environment), Shamsudeen Usman
(National Planning),and Ama Pepple
(Housing, Lands and Urban Development).

Also affected were Olusola Obada(Defence),
and her counterparts in the Agriculture
Ministry, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, and Power,
Zainab Kuchi.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran
Maku, had explained that the sacking of the
ministers
had no political undertone but
there were reports that it was fallout of the
crisis in the PDP.
The PDP was factionalised on August 31
when seven of its governors formed a
faction, known as New PDP.
The NWC member, who pleaded anonymity,
said,
"The President has directed the party
to suggest names for the vacant ministerial
slots. We have already asked our state
chapters to send their nominees to us. As I
talk to you, we are waiting for their
nominees."
It was gathered that in states governed by
the seven governors in the New PDP,
politicians loyal to the President, would
nominate candidates for vacant slots.
In Rivers State, where Pepple lost her job,
party chieftains, including the Deputy
National Chairman of the Tuku-led faction,
Uche Secondus and the Minister of State for
Education,
Nyesom Wike, would play a role
in getting her replacement.
In the South-West, there are two vacancies
because of the removal of Ashiru and
Obada.
It was gathered that chieftains of the PDP,
Chief Olabode George and a financier of
the party, Chief Buruji Kasamu, were
expected to nominate candidates for the
zone.
In Kaduna State, the southern part of the
state would fill the vacancy created by the
sack of Mailafia.
In Niger State, it was learnt that a former
military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida
and an ex-Minister of Information, Prof.
Jerry Gana, might nominate an indigene of
the state to replace Kuchi.
It was also gathered that, to fill the vacant
ministerial slots, governors that were loyal
to the President had been directed to
nominate candidates, if there were
vacancies in their states.
The PUNCH learnt that the Akwa Ibom State
Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio, would
nominate a chieftain of the party in the
state to replace Ewa-Bassey, a native of the
state.
When asked to comment on the
development, the PDP National Publicity
Secreary, Chief Olish Metuh, said, "That is
not important. It is the President that will
choose whoever he wants to work with
him to achieve his transformation agenda."
The Special Adviser to the President on
National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy
Emodi, had on Friday said Jonathan was
still consulting on the appointment of new
ministers.
She had said, "He is still consulting. He will
present the list to the National Assembly as
soon as he concludes his consultations."
Meanwhile, investigations on Sunday
revealed that security reports were mostly
responsible for the sack of the ministers.
A Presidency source told one of our
correspondents that following the crisis in
the PDP, the Presidency could no longer
trust the affected ministers.
The source said, "The ministers were nailed
by security reports. Their telephone lines
were bugged and they were being
monitored for at least four months. It was
discovered that they were no longer
sincere with Mr. President, especially since
the internal crises in PDP erupted.
"Go and find out, no sincere government
or President will tolerate a minister whose
loyalty is in doubt. In the case of the
affected ministers, they were having
divided loyalties. First, to their state
governors or the godfathers who
nominated them and secondly to Mr.
President.
"But by their functions, their loyalty to the
President should be total and so the best
option is to shop for people with
committed loyalty and not divided loyalty.
This should be a serious lesson to any
public servant; divided loyalty is never
tolerated anywhere in the world."
Efforts to get the reaction of the
President's Special Adviser on Political
Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, prooved abortive
as he could not be reached through his
mobile telephone.
A civil rights organisation, the Anti-
Corruption Network, has, however,
described the sacking of the ministers as
vindictive.
The Executive Secretary of the group and
former member of the House of
Representatives, Dino Melaye, in an
interview with one of our correspondents,
linked the sacking to the crisis in the PDP.
He said, "The sacking of the ministers is
vindictive, petty and political. It shows that
President Jonathan, like I have always said,
condones, romances and promotes
corruption. He spared all the corrupt
thieves in his government, including those
who are still busy enjoying their loots.
"The sacking of these ministers is a
cowardly reaction. The former Minister of
Education was a nominee of the Jigawa
State Governor. The ex-minister of National
Planning is from Kano State and it is
because Jonathan wants to appoint a
strong politician who will fight Governor
Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano State."

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