EXCLUSIVE: Ayade, Ganduje, Binani May Lose Out In One-Per- State Ministerial List

…Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi Ambassadorial Hopefuls

Some former Governors including Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, who recently exited power and have been hopeful of landing ministerial positions in the government of Bola Tinubu, will not make the cut, THE WHISTLER has gathered.

A source privy to how Tinubu is shaping up his ministerial and ambassadorial lists and other key appointments revealed over the weekend that some of those earlier tipped for ministerial positions are likely to be overlooked unless the president changes his heart in the last minutes.

The immediate past governor of the Cross River State, Ayade, was tipped for the Minister of Agriculture role in a list that circulated some weeks ago. The president’s camp did not dispute the list.

Similarly, former Kano State governor, Ganduje was also rumoured for the Agric role in another list.

Former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, was tipped to emerge as Minister of Interior.

But if the revelation from the president’s camp is anything to go by, they are not in the ministerial list the president has prepared to be forwarded to the National Assembly as soon as it resumes plenary a few weeks from now.

This paper reliably gathered that the president would shock many Nigerians with a one-per-state ministerial list being prepared and other appointments “as he has shown with his appointments of advisers.”

Tinubu last week shocked not a few when he elected to go his way in his appointments of some key advisers, some of whom had been rumoured to have been reserved by him for ministerial positions.

Among those named as his special advisers are long term political ‘son’, Dele Alake, who was named as special adviser on special duties, communications and strategy, and Nuhu Ribadu, as special adviser on security, while Wale Edun was appointed special adviser, monetary policies.

Ribadu was chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo.

Tinubu also appointed Yau Darazo his special adviser, political and intergovernmental affairs, Olu Verheijen, special adviser on energy; Zachaeus Adedeji, special adviser on revenue; John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu was named special adviser on industry, trade and investment while Salma Ibrahim Anas was appointed special adviser on health.

Alake, Ribadu and Edun were all rumoured to have been tipped as ministers before their appointments.

This paper learnt the president “wants a change as he wants people who would hit the ground running, as ministers down to board chairmen and heads of agencies and parastatals.”

Working ostensibly with that frame of mind, Tinubu is said to have overlooked Ayade, Ganduje, Wike and others .

The president is also quoted as saying “he wants people without controversies.”

In Cross River, the president and stakeholders in the state prefer former Senator for Cross River Central, John Owan Enoh in a single Minister per state Tinubu is said to be preferring.

The president is said to be interested in pruning down the number of ministers from 50+ to less than 40, in what appears to be structural reform in both the public and civil services long yearned for.

Also, the slot meant for Kano State has been allegedly reserved for former Kano State Governor and Ganduje’s political godfather, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who also contested the 2023 presidential election.

Kwankwaso has reportedly picked someone for the position and not himself.

In Adamawa State, the APC 2023 governorship candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Binani is also not in the reckoning as speculation has been rife that Tinubu may compensate her.

No detail was provided but it may not be unconnected to her inglorious role in the conduct of the governorship election in which she tacitly accepted her illegal declaration as the winner of the election.

Also, a source in the Tinubu camp said she’s a political lightweight, explaining that “the Nuhu Ribadu camp is firmly entrenched in the current government.”

According to the source, “the two (Ribadu and Binani – fierce opponents) can’t be in charge as Ribadu, who was recently appointed Special Adviser on Security to the president, would not accept her nomination.”

The president, it’s gathered, is also not sure if former Governor of Rivers State, Wike, would fit in as minister due to his proclivity to controversy and how his appointment might cast his administration in public eye.

Consequently, Wike alongside his other three members of his G-5 governors have been tipped for ambassadorial positions.

The other three are immediate past governors of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

This medium learnt the president would finalise the list of his ministerial appointments as soon as he returns from France from official engagement in a week’s time.

Stakeholders, especially governors in states controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would have concluded their choice of ministers when he returns, the presidency source said.