Presidency: Ministers targeted in rumoured shake-up

Posted by admin Goodluck Jonathan (2010-present), Presidency Monday, May 14th, 2012

The recent rumour of a federal cabinet shake-up was at the weekend linked to
certain political individuals who want to see some key ministers dropped from
this government.

A Presidency source named some of the ministers that the
political bigwigs felt should be dropped to include the Ministers of the Federal
Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani
Allison-Madueke, Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe; Information, Mr Labaran
Maku; Labour, Mr Emeka Wogu; Interior, Mr Abba Moro; Minister of State for
Education, Mr Nyesom Wike; and Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi
Adesina.

According to the source who did not want to be named, those that
seek the ouster of the ministers are not basing their reasons on performance but
as threat to certain people’s ambition ahead of 2015 elections.

The
political group, the source said, saw Mohammed and Allison-Madueke as the
greatest threats, hence the continuous negative stories about them. The
Presidency source also believed that the ministers are partly responsible for
the visible progress and successes so far recorded by President Goodluck
Jonathan.

“The worst target of this group of loyalists by this powerful
opposition is the FCT Minister. Given that he hails from the North, these
political enemies are worried that despite entreaties not to return to the
Jonathan’s government, Mohammed had remained loyal and committed to the
political ideals of his principal, the President. That is why they want his
head.
“Since moving that historic Doctrine of Necessity, they have not
forgiven him. Some people believe that having served as FCT minister, the second
most important ministry in Nigeria, next to petroleum, for two years, he should
have resigned and returned to his political roots, which brought him to the
Senate in the first place, before he joined the PDP and the Jonathan’s
government,” the source said.

“Some people are specifically afraid that
his stabilisation and growing influence in the North if not checked, could turn
out to be another strong weapon in the hands of the President to actualise his
second term ambition, especially should he decides to run in 215” the source
said.

The source noted while the game plan of labelling the FCT minister
as being “anti-North” was adopted against him by those who wanted him out of the
Jonathan’s government, “they chose to use various means and ways to tag the
petroleum minister and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr Austin Oniwon, as being corrupt”.

“This
was their (opposition) game plan which was leaked and in order not to create an
environment of disloyalty and a possible feeling of dissent among the ministers,
the President decided to come out clear that reshuffling the cabinet was not his
immediate priority”, the source said. The news of a possible cabinet shake-up
had been on for the past two weeks with specific names of politicians as
replacement.

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