Tinubu government: Jostle for juicy positions begins
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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on March 1, declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagbearer
the winner of the keenly contested presidential poll.
The scramble for top positions in the cabinet of President-elect Bola Tinubu has commenced ahead of the forthcoming
inauguration on May 29.
Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar – Labour Party, LP, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates, respectively, rejected the
results and are challenging the victory at the tribunal.
But the APC and its supporters are gearing up for the swearing in of Tinubu and running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima,
insisting the election was won fair and square.
Taking into cognizance a bill President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed into law, Tinubu must submit ministerial
nominees to the Senate within 60 days of assuming office.
DAILY POST gathered that the race for appointment is in two categories, presidency and ministerial, though one has at
least three subdivisions.
Under the presidency, offices to be filled include Chief of Staff, CoS, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF,
Special Advisers, SAs, and Senior Special Assistants, SSAs.
Party sources, who hinted at likely appointees, said capacity, loyalty, work ethics, efforts during campaign, impact on
Tinubu’s election, among other factors, would be considered.
Below is a list of individuals that may get presidency and ministerial designation:
Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The lawyer, first elected in 2003, represents Surulere I
constituency in Lagos State.
Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, is a former two-term governor of Lagos State. He was Tinubu’s Chief
of Staff during his second term as Lagos governor.
James Faleke, Secretary, APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, is a House of Representatives member. First elected in
2011, he represents Ikeja federal constituency in Lagos.
Major General Abdulmalik Jibril (retd), Director of Intelligence and Security, PCC, is Nigeria Legion chairman: heads the
Presidential Think Tank on Defence and Security, PTTDS.
Nuhu Ribadu, ex-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The former police officer headed the
Petroleum Revenue Task Force.
Abdullahi Ganduje: The two-term governor of Kano State was the deputy governor all through the tenure of former
governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso
Nasir El-Rufai, two-term governor of Kaduna State, served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. He was
Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE.
Bello Matawalle: The governor of Zamfara State was formerly the House of Representatives member for Bakura/Maradun
federal constituency. He lost his re-election bid during the general election.
Simon Lalong, two-term governor of Plateau State and ex-Speaker of the House of Assembly, was Director-General of the
APC Campaign Council
Atiku Bagudu, two-term governor of Kebbi State and ex-Senator, chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF. He is a
Presidential Transition Council, PTC, member.
Wale Edun, a banker and Chapel Hill Denham Group chairman, was Commissioner for Finance throughout Tinubu’s tenure as
governor. He is a member of the PTC.
Kayode Fayemi, a former two-term governor of Ekiti State, served in the Buhari administration as Minister of Mines and
Steel Development.
Dayo Adeyeye, National Coordinator of South West Agenda for Asiwaju, SWAGA. The former Ekiti South Senator is a former
Minister of State for Works.
Hadiza Bala Usman, Deputy Director (Administration) in the campaign council, was previously Managing Director of the
Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.
Festus Keyamo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. The Official Spokesperson of the APC PCC is the current Minister of State
for Labour and Employment.
Babatunde Ogala, SAN. The former Legal Adviser of the party served as Head of Legal Directorate, Tinubu Campaign
Organisation.
Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of Special Projects and New Media, PCC, was Minister of Aviation, Minister of Culture and
Tourism, and SA on Public Affairs to the President.
Dele Alake, Director of Strategic Communication, PCC. He was Commissioner for Information and Strategy throughout
Tinubu’s tenure as governor.
Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity, PCC- served in the Buhari administration as Managing Director of the News
Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Hannatu Musawa, an activist and legal practitioner, served as Deputy Director of Public Affairs in the APC Campaign
Council.
Tunde Rahman, the Head of Tinubu Media Office. The former Editor of Thisday Newspaper is the founder Western Post
Newspaper.
Others likely to play roles are campaign directors: Mohammed Idris, Strategic Communications; Aminu Jaji, Contact &
Mobilization; Bello Goronyo, Youth Mobilization; Bobboi Kagama, Labour; Musa Babayo, Policy & Research, and Ade Omole,
Diaspora.
Meanwhile, the battle for positions in the incoming government is already stoking tension in the party.
In many states including Delta, Abia, Enugu, among others, some chieftains have either been expelled or suspended.
In Delta, Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Lauretta Onochie and the governorship candidate of
APC, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege were suspended.
In Abia, ex-Deputy Governor Chris Akomas; ex-Minister of State for Solid Minerals, Uche Ogah; ex-Pro-chancellor, University
of Calabar, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu; Executive Secretary, National Land Development Agency, NALDA, Paul Ikonne; Hon.
Sam Onuigbo and others were suspended.
In Enugu, former governor Sullivan Chime, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, VON, Osita Okechukwu, to mention a few,
were expelled, while Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, among others
were suspended for alleged anti-party activities.
Reacting to his suspension, Okechukwu said “The story of my kinsman Ugo Agbala is the story of a failed chairman
quarrelling with himself. He came from PDP akin to a political bandit and hijacked our great party with the assistance of
His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo State.
“He drove all the stakeholders away and boasted he will quadruple the 56,000 we scored in the 2019 presidential election.
Regrettably, he scored abysmally only 4,722. Instead of apologising, I cited his CV flying around at the president-elect’s
house and APC headquarters.
“This is why he is telling childish lies against some of us who are foundation members of APC, who sold the only plot of
land in Enugu during my gubernatorial election in 2011. Ironically then Agbala was in the comfort zone of PDP, while we
were constructing the APC structure,” he added.

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https://dailypost.ng/2023/04/10/tinubu-government-jostle-for-juicy-positions-begins/

Very good example of building castles in the air. Maybe they should jostle for places in Osinbajo's interim government because Tinubu, who has been rejected long ago will not be President. Osinbajo should not even consider them sef