President Muhammadu Buhari
President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) may have dashed the hThe President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) may have dashed the hope of many who believed that he may recall all his former ministers and aides who resigned to bid their luck as his successor in the recent presidential primary election of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja.
Astute politicians and political pundits who are of this school of thought justified their stand on the fact that these aides have served Mr. President meritoriously without any hitch before opting out to try their luck for a bigger chunk of the meat.
However, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has nominated seven persons for screening and confirmation by the Senate for appointment as Ministers to replace these former aides.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan read Buhari’s letter of request on the floor of the Senate, in Abuja, todayday.
In the letter read by Lawan, the president said the nominees would replace the former ministers that resigned from his cabinet.
The letter read in part, “In accordance with Section 8 Subsection 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I hereby forward the underlisted ministerial nominees for your confirmation.
The nominees are: Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh – Abia State, Umana Okon Umana – Akwa Ibom State, Egwumakama Joseph Nkama – Ebonyi State and Goodluck Nnana Opiah – Imo State.
The rest are Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub – Kano State, Ademola Adewole Adegoroye – Ondo State and Odum Odih – Rivers State.
No fewer than 9 members of President Buhari’s cabinet resigned their appointments as ministers over their political ambition.
The cabinet members who resigned their appointment include the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Niger Delta Affair, Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Tayo Alasoadura.
Others are the Ministers of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen; State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; State, Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogar, and State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
The President had at the end of a Federal Executive Council meeting ordered all cabinet members with political ambition to resign.
Buhari’s order was in line with the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act which provides that, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
