A well-connected source at the Presidency in Abuja
has told SaharaReporters about the behind-the-
scenes maneuvers that forced President Goodluck
Jonathan to include the name of Musiliu Obanikoro
on a list of ministerial nominees that was hurriedly sent
to the Senate for approval. Those on the list include Musiliu
Obanikoro (Lagos), Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa) and
Kenneth Kobani (Rivers).

Mr. Jonathan’s decision to send the list to
the Senate today struck many political observers as
curious, specifically because the Senate is still on recess
and would not resume until February 17, three days
after the presidential election.
Our source at the Presidency disclosed that the timing of
the president’s submission of the list was dictated by
demands made by Mr. Obanikoro, a former Minister of State
for Defense. Mr. Obanikoro had resigned from his
ministerial post in order to seek the nomination of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party’s
governorship candidate for Lagos State. In the party’s
primary, Mr. Obanikoro lost the governorship ticket to Mr.
Jimi Agbaje.
“Chief Musiliu Obanikoro insisted that Mr. President
[Goodluck Jonathan] must compensate him again with
a ministerial position as a condition for him [Obanikoro] to
support the party at the February polls,” said our source.
Our source disclosed that the former minister and failed
governorship candidate set the condition during a meeting
he held a few days ago in Lagos with Vice President
Namadi Sambo.
Our source, who said he was privy to the discussion, added
that President Jonathan caved in to the former minister’s
demands because “Koro [as Mr. Obanikoro is popularly
called] made it clear that, if he is not given a ‘soft
landing’ as a minister, he would not campaign for Agbaje or
for the PDP as a whole.” The source added that Mr.
Obanikoro had convinced the president and vice president
that, despite his loss in the gubernatorial primary, he is a
widely popular politician in Lagos State, with the capacity
to help Mr. Jonathan and the PDP upset the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the February elections.
“He kept reminding the vice president about their
agreement, and the VP convinced Mr. President to send the
list of ministers immediately in order to carry Koro along,”
said the source. He added: “Koro does not want to lose out
totally. So he told the vice president that the agreement
must be kept to.”
Mr. Jonathan reportedly felt that he had no option than to
hurriedly compile the names of a few nominees and forward
the list to the Senate.
Even though there are several other states without
adequate representation on the cabinet, Mr. Jonathan felt
he needed to act fast to send a list that included Mr.
Obanikoro’s name in order to avoid
another political grudge in the Lagos State chapter of the
PDP, a state the president’s strategists are determined
to capture.
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http://saharareporters.com/2015/01/30/ministerial-nominations-how-obanikoro-forced-jonathan-send-list-senate-immediately

Sahara = LIES