Ganduje’s son receives a new appointment from Tinubu.

The son of former governor and All Progressives Congress national chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is engineer Umar Abdullahi Umar, executive director of REA’s technical services (APC).

Following the indefinite suspension imposed on the agency’s team led by Ahmad Salihijo, President Bola Tinubu appointed Umar to the new REA management team, according to Daily Trust.

Salhijo, a 2019 appointment of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was placed under suspension along with three of his associate directors.

The directors are Sa’adatu Balgore, Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Barka Sajou, Executive Director, Technical Services, and Olaniyi Alaba Netufo, Executive Director, Corporate Services.

In addition to appointing Aliyu Abubakar to succeed Salihijo, Tinubu also named Ganduje’s son as one of the new Executive Directors of the agency.

The other two new directors are: Ayoade Gboyega — Executive Director, Corporate Services; and Doris Uboh — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF).

Tinubu also ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the former management team of REA over “a fraudulent misexpenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years”.

According to Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesman, some of the misappropriated funds have already been recovered by anti-graft agencies.

The new Technical Director of REA was actively involved in the 2023 elections. After his father withdrew from the senate race, the younger Ganduje was encouraged to vie for the House of Reps seat.

He had won the APC ticket for Dawakin Tofa/Tofa /Rimin Gado constituency, but lost to the New Nigerian Peoples Party’s Hon Tijjani Jobe, a ranking lawmaker.

Engr Umar, who had previously worked at the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), is very close to his father. He played a key role in Tinubu/Shettima campaign, especially in the youth wing.