The lobby for appointments in the incoming administration of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has intensified with the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s outgoing governors positioning themselves for one major assignment or the other, Blueprint can authoritatively report.
Aside the outgoing APC governors, party chieftains, especially those who believe in Tinubu’s presidency and worked for his emergence, have also commenced scheming to be rewarded with appointments in Asiwaju’s government.
The development is coming even as Tinubu returned to the country, Monday, after being away for one month.
Tinubu had jetted out of Nigeria to France March 21, a trip his campaign council said was meant for him to take a rest and plan ahead of his inauguration on May 29.
His media team later said he would be in France, the UK and Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj.
“The President-elect decided to take a break after the hectic campaign and election season to rest in Paris and London, preparatory to going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (Lesser Hajj) and the Ramadan Fasting that begins Thursday,” Tinubu’s media assistant, Tunde Rahman had said in a statement.
Lobbyists intensify efforts
During Tinubu’s one-month sojourn, Blueprint gathered that many party leaders, governors and others lobbying for appointments, could not have access to the former Lagos state governor.
A senior party official who pleaded anonymity, told one of our correspondents that many APC chieftains and members had travelled to Saudi Arabia with the hope of ‘ambushing’ the president-elect during the lesser hajj (Umrah) but got disappointed when Tinubu suddenly changed his itinerary and opted not to travel to Saudi during the just concluded Ramadan period.
“The first challenge Tinubu presidency will face within the rank and file of the ruling party will be the choice of party members who will eventually make the appointment list, especially in some states where the outgoing governors are not Senators-elect.
“I am talking here of states like Plateau, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara and Cross River,” the source said.
The party chieftain further said: “The lobby for appointments in Tinubu’s presidency in hot now. So many of our party leaders even travelled to Mecca with the hope of seeing the President-elect there but got disappointed because he refused to go on Pilgrimage to avoid these lobbyists.
“I must tell you that I don’t envy Asiwaju at the moment because his hands are full and tied. I learnt that he has already prepared the list of his team, and I just hope our party leaders in the states will understand with him if they do not make the list.
“Take for example, some of our outgoing APC governors all want to be appointed as Minister this, Minister that but the cabinet cannot be populated with former governors, even though some of them rightly deserve it, especially the courageous Northern APC governors who publicly endorsed Tinubu’s candidacy on the eve of the party’s presidential primary election. So, definitely it’s really going to be a challenge,” added the top source privy to happenings within the transition arrangement.
Propaganda tool
Another source who is a top member of the just dissolved APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) also drew Blueprint’s attention to various strategies being employed by some party leaders to sustain their relevance towards securing an appointment in the coming cabinet.
The source decried the level of propaganda going on in various states of the federation among party chieftains against each other, who feel they deserved appointment, adding that some have even resorted to prayers.
The source said: “The level of desperation for appointments by our leaders is condemnable. Some of them have resorted to organising special prayers, others are sponsoring propaganda against each other while some others have employed services of spin doctors and also feature their contributions to Tinubu’s emergence in the media.”
Tinubu returns
And some 34 days after, President-elect Tinubu returned to the country into the waiting hands of his allies.
His private jet touched ground at exactly 4.30pm at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and was received by Vice-President-elect Kashim Shettima and top party officials, including Speaker House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu.
He was in company with his wife, Senator Remi Tinubu, and son, Seyi.
Also at the airport to receive him were Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger), as well as former Borno state Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.
The rest included APC Deputy National Chairman, North Senator Abubakar Kyari, Deputy National Chairman South Barrister Emma Enekwu, and National Woman Leader Dr. Betta Edu.
There were also Senators Barau Jibril, Adeola Olamilekan Yahyi, Opeyemi Bamidele, Dayo Adeyeye, Sabi Abdullahi and Adelere Oriolowo as well as Secretary of the recently-dissolved APC PCC, Hon. James Faleke, Hon. Babajimi Benson and Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity in the dissolved campaign council.
Amidst cheers from party faithful, Tinubu headed straight to his vehicle after a brief stopover to acknowledge the crowd of supporters who besieged the airport to welcome him.
Addressing the crowd of supporters and allies, President-elect Tinubu said he was ready for the task ahead.
A statement by his media office quoted Tinubu as asking Nigerians to ignore any rumour, saying he’s fit and ready to hit the ground running at inauguration.
Speaking to the supporters who followed him home, the president-elect said: “I’m happy to be back. I have rested, I’m refreshed and I’m ready for the task ahead. Forget about what the rumour mill may have told you. I’m strong, very strong.”
Asked about his plans for the country, he said he had been consulting and planning with a view to putting together a strong team so he could hit the ground running once he assumes office on May 29.
Nigerians happy to see him – Barau
Welcoming Asiwaju Tinubu back home, frontline aspirant for the Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly, Barau Jibrin said Nigerians were delighted to see Asiwaju back hale, hearty and ready to hit the ground running.
Speaking to journalists Monday at the airport, the lawmaker said: “We are all happy to see our Leader, our President-elect back with his amiable wife, looking so fresh and fit and ready to hit the ground running.
“Nigerians are here in their thousands and you can see how happy they are right now. Everyone is excited to have him back. My campaign organisation and I are very glad to have him back. He has said he is back, fit and ready for the task ahead. We know and trust him to be a man of his words. We cannot expect less.”
Tinubu will perform – Sat Guru Maharaj
Also, the founder and spiritual leader of One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj has assured Asiwaju Tinubu will perform excellently as Nigeria president.
He said this while addressing journalists at the Maharaj Ji Village along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to mark the Unity and Light Anniversary of his existence as the Living Perfect Master.
He said: “Tinubu is a stepping stone to divine government in Nigeria. Tinubu will behave like an African if he assumes duty as Nigeria’s president and with his wealth of experience in governance; Tinubu will no doubt move Nigeria forward.
“Tinubu will be humane, he will be democrat, he will behave like an African, with his wealth of experience he would be able to lay down a good foundation and he would be able to take good care of our meager resources to produce more and meet up globally.”
Sat Guru Maharaj added, “It is high time Nigeria should move forward, religion is an aberration, it has nothing to do with man’s life, whether president elect and his vice are Muslim or not let us give them our supports and prayers and I believe they will perform very well.
“Nigerians should rally round the new president elect, so he can perform wonderfully well; he needs our prayers and supports. Anybody that has recommendation or suggestions should forward it to Asiwaju Tinubu, he would do wonders, he will surely perform excellently if we give him our support.”
He urged the duo of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to withdraw their cases from the court, saying, ”we are Africans, we don’t believe in trouble.
“We believe in giving honour to whom honour is due, especially when it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the present government has tried their best in ensuring free, fair and credible elections, though there are little skirmishes here and there, but we cannot continue wasting money running into billions on litigations when the common man on the road need food to eat.”
Igbokwe’s lamentation
Meanwhile, a political ally of the President-elect Tinubu and APC chieftain in Lagos state, Joe Igbokwe, has lamented the exclusion of Igbo in the transition committee appointed ahead of the May 29 inauguration date.
Igbokwe expressed disbelief that Tinubu excluded Igbo from his transition committee.
The president-elect had sent a 13-man list in addition to the earlier transition committee lists sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.
In his reaction, Igbokwe questioned the authenticity of the report claiming Igbo were excluded from the committee.
Writing on his personal Facebook Igbokwe said: “Please let someone help me to investigate this: can it be true that Asiwaju Transition Committee was formed without any single Igbo on the list? I’d not want to believe it is true. May it’s not be true.”
