Ministers: Jonathan rejects defeated govs, others

Attempts by some defeated governors and governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party to become ministers may have hit a brick wall.

Top among them are Imo State Governor Ikedi Ohakim, his Nasarawa State counterpart, Akwe Doma, and the governorship candidate in Lagos State , Dr. Ade Dosunmu.

Their names were said to have been included in the ministerial nominee lists forwarded by their state chapters of the ruling party to President Goodluck Jonathan.

A source in the Presidency, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Sunday, said, “The President has received lists of ministerial nominees from the 36 PDP state chapters, but I can tell that he is not disposed to picking the defeated governors and governorship candidates as ministers. “

The source made this known just as a chieftain of the PDP hinted that Jonathan was considering offering ministerial appointments to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Dimeji Bankole, and former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi.

When asked to mention the names of the affected PDP governorship candidates, the source, pleading anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on it, said, “I can only confidently mention the lists from Lagos , Imo and Nasarawa states.”

He, however, was quick to add that the defeated governorship candidates would not be shut out completely from the government as they might be offered board appointments.

Punch Newspaper