Proposed Ministerial list: Tinubu’s 42-man cabinet led by technocrats, Ex Govs.

There are strong indications that no fewer than five former governors will feature on the president’s list of nominees that is heading to the Senate for approval within the next week, as the race for ministerial positions enters its final stretch.

There will be nominees from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and many technocrats on the unusual list, which has been dubbed the “cabinet of (political) unity,” according to The Guardian.

There have already been contests and intrigues in political camps over the selection of suitable representatives in some of the key states as a result of President Bola Tinubu’s handshake across party lines.

But there might be enough room for everyone who wants to come. According to the information gathered for this article, the new cabinet will be just as large as the one former President Muhammadu Buhari had, albeit with significant changes to the distribution of portfolios.

Less than 20 days remain of the 60 days allotted by the Constitution for the president to submit his list of Ministers for screening by the Senate.

Since “each state is constitutionally mandated to have a representative at the cabinet and, as was done by the previous administration, each of the six geological zones will also have members in the unity government,” it was revealed yesterday that a 42-member cabinet is to be expected.

As it stands, the new cabinet will have 42 ministers and 20 special advisors. The likely elimination of Ministers of State would be one striking departure from the previous administration. Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings occur every week, and SAs will participate in those discussions.

Some large ministries are expected to be unbundled into two or three in order to create enough portfolios for cabinet members. Humanitarian Aid, Disaster Relief, Social Services, Youth and Sports, and the Department of Works and Housing will all be affected.

Twenty people have been proposed for the roles of Senior Special Assistants (SSAs), Special Assistants (SAs), and Personal Assistants (PAs), including Dr. Adekunle Tinubu as personal physician, Tunde Rahman as media SSAP, Damilotun Aderemi as private secretary, Ibrahim Masari as political matters SSAP, Toyin Subair as domestic SSAP, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz as print media SSAP, Otega Ogara as digital/new

To round out the team, we have Nosa Asemota, SAP (Visual Communication) Personal Photographer; Kamal Yusuf, PA (Special Duties); Wale Fadairo, PA (General Duties); Sunday Moses, PA (Videography); and Taiwo Okonlawon, PA (State Photographer); all of whom report to the SSAP, Motunrayo Jinadu.

A document seen over the weekend indicates that the proposed nominees are currently awaiting formal approval from President Tinubu. Some of the finalists have already begun performing their nominated duties.

It has been reported that the APC’s state chapters and national secretariat have been sidelined in the process of recommending ministerial nominees because “the governors are in charge and states where opposition parties occupy the seat of government, party leaders make recommendations, that is why some states have multiple nominees.”

Former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai was likely on the list of governors to be submitted to the senate because of his pivotal role in the election of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It has been speculated that Tinubu’s supporters are rooting for him because of the report of the APC’s 2018 true federalism committee, which he chaired.

Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, and Nyesom Wike of Rivers are some of the others.

Senator Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, is favoured over Senator Ibikunle Amosun for the ministerial list, according to reports.

Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, is also under consideration for the position of foreign affairs minister. In the previous government, he was in charge of the mining and steel industries.

Senator Tokunbo Abiru, a banker, is being groomed to become the new Finance Minister in Lagos, the president’s strong suit. For former Lagos governor Akinwunmi Ambode to rejoin the president’s political family, he must first leave the Senate, where he currently represents the Lagos East senatorial district. Ambode is being groomed to take Abiru’s place in the Senate after the latter made peace with his godfather.

Because of infighting among various camps within the APC in Delta State, it is unclear who will be appointed minister.

As far as anyone could tell, not even the party’s top brass was trying to force anyone into the ministerial position.

According to a reliable insider, the party is now split between supporters of former deputy senate president Ovie Omo-Agege and those of Lauretta Onochie and the recently expelled Dr Cairo Ojougboh.

A credible source has stated, “From the top, the party may decide to pick Festus Keyamo, because he was presidential campaign spokesman and has been assisting the president to defend his case at the tribunal.”

While Omo-Agege is still trying to’reclaim’ his governorship mandate at the election tribunal, it has been gathered that another bloc is rooting for Otega Emerhor with the support of Omo-Agege.

Some party heavy hitters in Cross Rivers State may have lobbied Aso Rock for ministerial positions, according to local rumours.

Calabar insiders say that former governor Prof. Ben Ayade, former senate leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, APC National Women Leader and former health commissioner in the state Dr. Betta Edu, governorship hopeful Senator John Owan Enoh, former party chairman and ambassador Soni Abang, and former NPA board chairman and former information commissioner A.O. Abang are all involved.

But Ayade is counting on his influence and connection with some former governors to push his cause, while Edu is counting on some party heavyweights, female-folks, and the ‘office of the First Lady’ to push hers. Ndoma-Egba hopes to succeed by drawing on his past experience and networking with other members of the National Assembly.

Cross River State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Group has cautioned Tinubu against appointing any of their nominees for ministerial positions.

The group’s leader, Sampson Egom, issued a statement from Calabar saying, “It is important for the APC and Tinubu to be properly guided before he makes the choice of his minister from Cross River.”

In part, the statement reads, “Let the party reward and promote this silent majority, who do not have political godfathers and godmothers.”

Within 60 days of taking the oath of office, the president and governors must submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly, per a new amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

It has been 42 days since President Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29. Unlike his predecessor, who took six months to inaugurate a single minister, Tinubu is expected to announce his cabinet within the first 30 days of his presidency, as stated by presidential spokesman Dele Alake.

In May, Alake said, “A month maximum is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing in.”

However, last Thursday, Alake reversed course, saying that the president could fill the new cabinet with whoever he chose whenever he was ready.

While answering questions from reporters at the State Department in Abuja, Alake mentioned Nigeria’s presidential system, which gives the president only the authority to appoint cabinet members.

This is not a parliamentary system, he reminded us; we have an executive presidency. As a result, the money ultimately stops on his desk, and he gets to decide who gets added to his cabinet.

Alake, a Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, commented on the flood of what he called “speculations” in the public domain, claiming that such reports were completely fabricated.

All the media reports you’ve been reading are completely made up. None of that is even remotely true. You will be the first to know the president’s plans when he is ready to share them, he promised.

When the list of ministerial nominees is released, it is widely anticipated that prominent figures who may not have been prominent in the South-east region or in the APC will be included.

Our research shows that Tinubu is willing to work with politicians and experts who can help his administration achieve national unity in order to calm the ruffled feathers that have resulted from his election. It was heard that if he did this, he might not have to rely solely on party members who helped him succeed in the area.

The effort was also made to strengthen the party in the region, and it was eventually revealed that the list might contain members of both the PDP and the APC.

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the former governor of Enugu state, and Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia state, have both visited Tinubu so far. The PDP counted them among its G-5 governors. Ugwuanyi’s inclusion is rumoured to be a done deal because of his close relationship with Tinubu and his work as governor to bring different parts of the country together, while Ikpeazu’s inclusion is less certain.

However, in Abia, the party is split between the former minister, Uche Ogar, and the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, Ikechi Emenike.

The split has caused friction within the party. According to a reliable source, the party may have presented the president with two separate lists of prospective ministers.

A source revealed that although Ugwuanyi is not a member of the APC, his charisma and popularity could still land him a position in Tinubu’s administration.

In addition, the crisis within the state APC has weakened the party’s chances in recent elections by causing internal strife. The crisis was thought to worsen if groups led by Ugochukwu Agballah, Adolphus Ude, and others were allowed to nominate candidates.

Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim is rumoured to be on the list in Ebonyi. It has been speculated that Anyim’s close relationship with the state’s ex-governor, Dave Umahi, who will have some say in the matter of appointing someone from the state, plays a role.

Before the election, Anyim had publicly supported the APC governorship candidate, a stance that many believed hindered Tinubu’s standing in the state. Anyim has been welcomed to the White House by President Tinubu.

It’s highly unlikely that Governor Uzodimma of Imo state won’t have some input into who gets tapped to be the state’s minister of representation.

Because of the turmoil in the Anambra APC, the president may have to find a new minister. He met with Olisa Metuh, the former PDP national publicity director, just last week.

The APC in Rivers State has also denied giving Wike a nomination for a ministerial position.

At a press conference on Wednesday, state party spokesperson Darlington Nwauju refuted the claim, calling it “the most fantastically audacious of lies.”

In response to a book written by Chief Tony Okocha, a former chief of staff for the government of Rivers State and current leader of the Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council, Nwauju said, “the state chapter of the party has never interacted with the Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council elaborating that there are more than a hundred NGOs and support groups, who worked for the APC in Rivers State.”