New Cabinet: States Nominate Akala, Makarfi, Dosunmu
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 06:30
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Not unexpectedly, names of former and outgoing governors have dominated lists of ministerial nominees sent by the state chapters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the national secretariat, Thisday checks have revealed.
Picture: Adebayo Alao-Akala (Bleached)
This follows the directive of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP which last week wrote to its 36 state chapters and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to each submit three names to be considered as ministers and seven others for special advisers and other federal appointments in the in-coming government.
Apart from the former and outgoing governors, checks revealed that the list is also populated by state party executives, candidates who lost in their bids to secure people’s mandates during the April elections as well as top party supporters.
As at the time of filing this report, the name of the 10th person was being debated, but Thisday learnt that either Senator Isaiah Balat or Architect Nuhu Wya, the current Minister of State for Power, would have his name forwarded.
In Oyo State, though the full list could not be ascertained at the time of going to press, the names of outgoing governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and his deputy Taofeeq Arapaja have both made the list. They are joined by Jumoke Akinjide and Senator Kamoru Adedibu.
For Zamfara State, outgoing Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi who also lost in his re-election bid, leads other party stalwarts such as former Sokoto Governor Malam Yahaya Abdulkarim, state PDP secretary Musa Zubairu, Barrister Adamu Umar and Ambassador MZ Anka in the list.
Others are Senator Hassan Muhammed Gusau who lost in his bid to return to the senate, outgoing SSG Muhammad Bawa Gusau, chairman of Bakura local government council Malami Dambo, state commissioner of Works Ibrahim Ajiya Shinkafi and state commissioner of Education Ibrahim Danmaliki.
In Lagos State, the defeated PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Shamsudeen Ade Dosunmu, tops the list believed to have been drawn up by Chief Bode George.
Others on the list are Bode Oladele, a former aide to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, and senatorial candidates in the last elections W. Abainwonda (Lagos East), Tolagbe Animashaun (Lagos Central) and Moshood Salvado (Lagos West).
The state party chairman, Kosedo Setonji, secretary O Shelly and former Lagos State commissioner, Dr. Segun Ogundimu also made the list, in addition to Owolabi Salis, a former governorship aspirant.
The name of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, is conspicuously missing from the list.
However, some of the nominees may be in for a shocker as President Goodluck Jonathan is said to have indicated that he would want seasoned technocrats to hold key positions in his next cabinet.
Thisday had reported last week that Jonathan was planning a leaner cabinet by limiting ministerial appointments to the minimum of 36 prescribed by the Constitution.
Section 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution states that the president shall appoint a minster from every state of the federation.
However, the practice since 1999 is that in addition to the 36 slots being filled, a provision was made to accommodate six more ministers on geo-political basis, thereby bloating the cabinet to 42.
“If it were possible for the president to appoint only 25 ministers without breaching the laws, he would do it,” a Presidency source had told Thisday.
“But in the meantime, he plans to appoint only 36 out of whom at least 30 per cent would be technocrats and not the regular politicians. From day one, he wants to set out running at full speed.” (Thisday)
