Kaduna, Kano reject ambassadorial nominees Borno, Adamawa,others may follow
By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz and Abdullahi M. Gulloma, Abuja
As a follow-up to their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, in protest of their alleged exclusion in decision-making process by the Presidency, governors of the All Progressives Congress extraction, under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), formally wrote the president, demanding that they recommend party members to the federal government for subsequent appointments.
This is even as some states insist that some of their indigenes proposed for ambassadorial postings are replaced, owing to political and other considerations.
Blueprint can report that Kaduna and Kano states have written to the president rejecting the choices of both Mohammed Yaro and Alhaji Haruna Ungogo respectively, while Borno and Adamawa.
Immediately after the submission of names of 46 non-career ambassador nominees to the Senate for confirmation penultimate Thursday, the 21 APC governors requested an audience with President Buhari to convey their dismay over lack of recourse to them and party structures in federal government’s appointments.
It was gathered that in compliance with the directive by the president that the governors put down their grievances into writing, a follow-up letter, which was signed by the chairman of the forum and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has been sent to the president, detailing the governors’ demands.
The governors, who are said to have tied their grievances to the appointments of ministers and latest ambassadorial nominations, as well as sundry appointments done by the Buhari administration, are said to have highlighted what they called the danger of not consulting the states before arriving at a decision.
The governors lamented appointments of persons they say, have no political value or those that contributed nothing to the success of the party in the last election, emphasising the implications for the future of the APC and the government.
Though the governors are said to have treated the ministerial and ambassadorial appointments as a bygone matter, Blueprint authoritatively gathered that some of the governors are still protesting at individual levels.
A presidency source told our correspondent that some governors have written to the president to demand withdrawal of nominees from their states in favour of “more suitable persons.”
“Some governors believe that such appointments were akin to the party shooting itself in the foot. Essence of appointments like this is to reward political loyalty and strengthen the party. But a situation where political nonentities are offered such jobs, it would be telling on the party,” the source stated.
In Kaduna, it was gathered, the state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai had written to the president demanding that Hon. Yaro be dropped as an ambassador-designate. The governor was said to have acted on the recommendation of APC stakeholders in the state who protested the appointment.
Yaro, who is a two-time speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and also served as commissioner, all under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dispensation in the state, is said not to be a known APC member.
On its part, the Kano state government is also reported to have rejected Alhaji Ungogo, a former Secretary to the State Government, also on political grounds. Though, the governor, in a letter addressed to the president, claimed the nominee lacked the needed capacity for the job.
Ungogo, who was SSG under the Arc Kabir Gaya NRC-led administration, is, according to a source, “a spent force and has been out of circulation.”
There were indications, however, that more states were going to toe the lines of Kaduna and Kano states.
In Borno and Adamawa states, for example, the nominees proposed for the posts are said to be “irrelevant and unknown politically” that stakeholders in the states were proposing they be dropped.
A political source in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital told Blueprint that the state’s representative, Mohammed Hayatuddeen, does not live in the state and “has no any political capital that could be beneficial to us.”
A highly placed source told our correspondent last night that the APC governors had resolved not to “commit political suicide by having irrelevant people appointment to fill political posts”.
Meanwhile, President Buhari yesterday had a closed-door meeting with some APC governors over security concerns and issues bordering on nomination of ambassador-designates.
The governors are Mr. Samuel Ortom of Benue state, Mr. Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau state, Mr. Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa state and Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi state.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Governor Ortom said, he was at the State House to brief the President on the herdsmen/farmers clash.
He said the dialogue with relevant stakeholders and security agencies had resulted in relative peace in the state.
“We have been having security challenges but thank God with the collaboration with some security agencies in my state and with the support of Mr. President, I can say that is relatively calm. Today, the issue of herdsmen and farmers we have been able to, through dialogue, agree to work together in a manner that there will be win-win,” he said.
He said the state government was planning the construction of Cargo Airport in Markudi to assist in the export of the huge agricultural produce from the state to other parts of the country and for export.
The governor of Jigawa state and his Bauchi state counterpart said they expressed concern to the President on the increase in kidnapping, insurgency and other criminal activities in their states.