Anxiety mounts as Buhari keeps Tinubu, Atiku, Fashola in the dark over new cabinet
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are in the dark over President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet as he is yet to discuss potential ministerial nominees with them, TheCable can report.
John Odigie-Oyegun, chairman of the party, and national leaders such as Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, and Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, are all in the dark over nominations, presidential sources told TheCable.
Buhari has also not discussed any potential appointment with Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos, who accompanied him to the G7 meeting in Germany, sources in the know confirmed to TheCable.
Although there are strong indications that Fashola will serve a major role in the new government, Buhari is yet to give him the slightest hint.
Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers, who has been variously tipped to be petroleum minister, secretary to the government and minister of Niger Delta affairs, is also in the dark over Buhari’s plans.
This is contrary to speculations that the ministerial list is ready and is about to be presented to the national assembly for screening.
This has further increased the level of anxiety in the ruling party, with many former governors, defeated governorship candidates and party faithful on the edge over their immediate future.
As associate of the president told TheCable: “Newspaper reports listing ministerial nominees are not accurate. As close as I am to the president, he has never uttered a word to me on the list. We honestly don’t know what is going on in his mind.”
A member of the APC national exco said: “Buhari gives nothing away. You meet with him, give him a list of suggestions on different issues, he collects it, says thank you and then sees you off. That’s all.”
This is considered “frustrating” by some senior party members — but some think it is a good development that shows nobody can “predict or capture him”.
APC state chapters and governors are still expecting “communication” from Buhari requesting ministerial nominations but none is forthcoming.
Buhari has already said governors would not nominate ministers for him since he does not nominate commissioners for them.
In a recent interview with Daily Trust, the president said any ministerial list circulating was false as he had not put a single name on paper.
Ahmed Joda, chairman of the transition committee which submitted its report to Buhari on Friday, has also hinted that the cabinet may take longer to appoint.
“I think he deserves a little bit more time. This is not an ordinary transfer of government from one president to the other. In this country, we’ve never witnessed this kind of transition from one political party to another,” Joda said at the submission of the report.
After the inauguration of the national assembly, Bukola Saraki, the new senate president, was in a fix over the adjournment of sitting because of the possibility of ministerial nominations which the senators have to screen.
Sources told TheCable that Saraki had been willing to adjourn senate sitting for as long as Buhari wanted to prepare his list but there was no communication between the two because of the fall-out from the “rebellion” of Saraki in contesting for the nation’s No. 3 position.
Saraki eventually adjourned for two weeks, but there is yet no evidence that the list would be ready by then.
“When the senate reconvenes, there are possibilities that Buhari would continue to be under intense pressure to name his cabinet, but if the senate is not sitting, there can be a justification for the delay,” a ranking senator told TheCable.
The early days of a new senate are usually focused on screening new ministers as well as setting up the working committees.
I love Buhari! Am glad he is not a pushover. Nigerians miss nothing as those people usually nominate their cronies.
What is the problem of Tinubu with ministerial list? just to give Tinubu bad name.
Unpredictable, Good leader…
These APC govt will not stop making me laugh.
After using unrealistic promises to win election which I call ‘stealing by tricks’, they have soon discovered that power sharing is a different ball game altogether.
Now Buhari and the APC gang want to make machandize of the people and multiply their sorrows by trying to outsmart each other.
This what a nation gets when it takes a scholarship from the Devil and mortgage it’s destiny in the hands of covenants breakers and mercantile politicians.
God pass dem.
ayya jona boy.you still de vex
Fellow country men and women, Minister or no Minister, i dont fell the diff. What of you? I have come to see them as a huge drain on a lean treasury- especially with no diff.
I think you have the same stand Utah the president. Left for him, he prefers to work wt Perm.sec who are experienced and have record to attain than a ministers who are usually movies. Sadly, he just have to appoint for political reasons
Great thoughts!
This government has failed. Since March 28the no cabinet. Very cluelesss, dull and nothing to offer. I never believed in it because the foundation was built on falsehood. How long will it take to construct 28 thousand kilometers of road that GEJ did. Failure indeed. Cabinet is taking over three months yet no headway.
Of course you wont any because you re not prepared to see any.mr elder.note that will not make any difference, PMB has won and Nigerian choice has triumphed.
Buhari is just 16 days in office.not three months.should he have submitted his ministerial list to the outgone senate?when the past govt kept fuming they still in power.support advancement ,orderly and progress.God bless nigeria
3 months did you say, Elder? We need not rush things just the way your useless and clueless PDP did while in power. You rush in, you rush out just like your man Jonathan did. Leave Buhari alone. No matter how angry you all are, power has shifted to the right place. It is now business unusual! Buhari has won. Africa’s steering is in the right hand. Na God win.
buhari pls we need electricity
Mr president is taking his time and it is good for this country d era of stealing and corruption will soon be a thing of d past.
My advise is that all politicians should have their main business/profession to give them regular income politics should be taken as part time with little or nothing coming from it.
Keeping night vigil on ministerial list by politicians shows their level of desperation and could be fatal for them and shocked to the bone marrow when reality is done on them.
My broda u are right. We said that we are practising democracy the American way, then we should make sure only professionals or busy people engage in ours. These sets we have now are simply hungry and idle, that’s why u can’t stop them stealing even if u send them to jail today tomorrow when they are out they go back. No work to do. I pity the country.
Let them perform other duties, like take the broom and start sweeping the floor and cleaning the toilets, if there are no other duties to perform other than screen ministers, LAZY YEYE PEOPLE, good for all of them, BUHARI please, take as long as you like, even 6 months and more, ha ha ha ha ha he he he he he! I dey Laugh ooooooooo!
Tinibu sud be Wise,and be “Nobody” and become “everybody”.
Emperor Buhari will soon realize that Nigeria is not an empire and that the notion of a “self-made” president is total fallacy.
No excuse for this long delay
Politics is surely a dirty game for those who can plan but sure is interesting
‘I belong to everybody, & I belong to nobody.’ This statement is about to be proved real. Good development!
Alarm don blow
Nigeria is our country we must all work for her progress. Let’s give PMB a chance. I believe that he will perform.
I didn’t see anything wrong in Tunibu nominating somebody as a minister.
Why should Tinubu nominate someone for him. He has done his own government let him find something else to do or face his business. Why interfering in another person’s work.
Your comment..what is so special about nominating ministers only two weeks after taking over reigns of power?slow and steady win the race pls leave the General alone remember this is not his first time as head of Nigerian govt we need change and it is here allow him to choose capable hands that will help him fulfill his promises to us
It’s amazing how some Nigerians continue to shamefully cheerlead even as Buhari has so far proved ineffective as a leader. It’s smacks off idiocy to behold some goons turning themselves yo the man’s spokespersons and desperately defending him on every issue. Such goats need to realise that Buhari is now the president of Nigeria, not of APC or the arid-headed cheerleaders who revel in the illusion that Buhari has a magic that he’s going to use to stop politicians from stealing our money. People express foolish hope of corruption coming to an end becos they think Buhari will be jailing people. What such goons have not considered is the fact that cab jailing really stop corruption? Is cutting the head off the cure to headache?
Let’s face it, if Buhari cannot give us a ministerial list months after he was ‘elected’, can any of his cheerleaders guaranty his ability yo fulfill any of his promises? If we still don’t have a ministerial list, what then was the use of the Ahmed Joda Transition Committee. If it takes him this long to give us a ministerial list, I wonder how long it will take to complete the ‘halfdone’ Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
I was strongly against his candidacy when our party wanted to pick for the simple reason that the man is too far removed from contemporary societal realities. He’s beginning to exhibit it already. He needs to jettison the delusion of self-made president that he seem to have. As for his cheerleaders, you guys need to realise that he needs constructive criticism from every Nigerian in order for him to succeed. If you guys continue your thoughtless cheerleading, how do you expect him to know if he’s messing up? For instance, I read with dismay, how some people foolishly tried to defend the man when some Nigerians reminded him of his words while he was campaigning and was attacking GEJ for ‘seeking regional cooperation’ to fight Boko Haram. Why did he swallow his words and nearly went on his knees begging the Chadian president to help him fight BH? It is only among thoughtless cheerleaders that what’s good for GEJ’s goose can be good for Buhari’s gander only when it’s convenient for the cheerleaders.
Govt is continuum, Buhari should not use his ineptitude to drag us behind. Is ge going ti space or other planet to recruit ministers? Even if it takes him four years to come with the list, does that guaranty his ministers won’t steal? Abeeegi!
In your dreams. Better wake up!
You sound like an educated illiterate, to make such comments, you need to do a research, how long did it take OBJ to come up with a ministerial list when he took over from the military, how long did it take Yar’adua to come up with his ministerial list even though it was PDP to PDP transition, how long did it take GEJ to come up with his? All you know is criticise when you are not better, abeeeeeeg you too
May be we should switch off our lights (for those who have) and go to bed. When PMB, the man we freely entrusted with ‘navigating our ship of change’ is ready, he will wake us up. May be then, we will know what the difference is, if any, between GMB and PMB!
During Buhari/Idiagbon’ I was not too small.Now with Osinbajo and steps taken so far, I strongly believe positive change is here. We need patience that we displayed in abt 6 yrs
Apointing ministers shld not take eternity. You are vested with the power to hire and fire. So, just hire and when they don’t perform you fire them. I’m eager to see a changed and better Nigeria I vigorously campaigned for. Then, I wonder how he could succeed o without consulting with nobody o. Asiwaju shouldn’t be seen as nobody, he’s a good leader who knows how to choose the best technocrats to steer the ship of Nigeria to to the promised land. God bless Nigeria and APC.
My people hv a saying and I quote “u don’t argue about who is stronger with d wrestling ring right before u” end of quote, Buhari will work or he will not perform is no longer a debatable issue he is already in the saddle, all we need to do is to wait and c, while we go on our knees and beg God the almighty to lead him aright. Ado Rock is not an easy place so he needs our sincere prayers to succeed where d likes of OBJ and GEJ failed woefully.
Buhari is very well experienced. He is aware of the minefields ahead with his nominations, and he is only trying to navigate the danger. Am sure that he is going to come up with credible list that will help him with onerous task of changing Nigeria for good.
DRAMA IS THE SPICE AND SPINE OF THE FINE ART OF POLITICS! WITHOUT IT ALL YOU ‘LL BE MADE TO LIVE WITH IS MIND-BENDING BOREDOM! BUT WITH POLITICS IN THE AIR, YOU’LL NEVER EXPERIENCE ANY DULL MOMENT! APC, WHAT A WELCOME RELIEF! SURPRISE US EVERY DAY, FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMON AND UNCOMMON FOLKS, WE PRAY! FORWARD EVER!
Is it by naming ministers that we can progress, if he as done that earlier and make mistakes its d same people dat will complain, wen OBJ was president he submitted d list on July 27, Yaradua June 28 GEJ June 24.
Your comment.. I think we have a better things on our hands to worry about rather than argueing over ministerial list. If the list is submitted wrongly today,it will benefit those poltical vampire who are bent @ ensuring that our treasury is in there pocket. I think what you and i need to do is to continue to pray for God to use PMB to the glory of His holy name and to the benefit of the masses; just the way we did that we had a successful election. Fellow Nigerians,let us pray. God bless Nigeria.
Whether Buhari likes it or not the party and the leaders of APC still have input in the ministerial list.Buhari is just forming activities. People own the land which native doctors use to display.
Two weeks, not three months. The president can chose to be minister of all the ministries, the constitution recognises only one minister(Justice). Ministerial appointment is a government achievement.
Why the rush, the perm. Secs and MDs they are the only people that can sign cheques and give contracts now then ministers would just function as overseer of the ministries and relate to the Presidency through their fec meetings needs of each ministry adopted at that level. What is so special being a minister if this is the work of so called minister
May God deliver us from pang of haste. Lets give him the grace of another 30 days and the patient of an (election postponement) then, we may be giving Glories to the Master Of The Universe. I’ll leave you with: in trial times, the calm emperor that triumphs is better than hasty one that fails.
GMD is a strong and steady leader. He knows precisely what he is doing. He cannot be pushed around. He is aware that the mandate Nigerians gave him is based on Integrity. I’m confident he will deliver. Lets keep praying for him. God bless.