The results emanating from the just concluded Wards and Local government congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have again exposed the fact that Buhari’s ministers are as far from the grassroots as the earth is from the sun.
The outcomes of the congresses have also exposed the ministers as having little or no electoral value for the 2019 re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Since the last state congresses, many of the ministers have been overhead lamenting over how they were either ” locked out” of APC secretariats in their respective states, “chased away” from the Congress venues or “denied access” to the electoral materials by officials from the party’s headquarters, who were sent to conduct these congresses.
Rather than form a common front to deliver their states the APC congresses clearly became reasons for finger pointing, blame games and recriminations amongst stakeholders who viewed the congresses as tussles between the diaspora politicians (ministers) and the grassroots politicians (the governors or other stakeholders, as the case may be, especially in states where the APC are not in control).
Ministers who were at the forefront of the power struggle in their constituencies included those of Communications Technology, Adebayo Shittu; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Godfrey Onyema
Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung was even openly disowned by the All Progressive Congress (APC) members in Plateau state. He claimed that he had never attended any of their meetings since he was appointed minister.
Labour and Productivity minister, Chris Ngige and the party’s active stakeholders represented by Tony Nwoye, engaged in a battle for supremacy and control for the soul of the party in the state.
In Ekiti, co- travelers in the current Buhari’s regime; Babafemi Ojodu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, and Minister of Solid Minerals, Kayode Fayemi, engaged each other over who becomes the party’s flag bearer. Fayemi won controversially.
But Ojodu expressed his anger, describing Fayemi as a “wicked liar and tormented soul,” as both men struggled for the control of the party structure in Ekiti.
Communications Technology Minister, Adebayo Shittu was overhead at the Presidential Villa, lamenting about how Oyo state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi ” locked him out of the APC secretariat” in Ibadan and refused access to his team.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with APC Chairman, John Oyegun in Abuja, Shittu said Ajimobi’s fears that he might be sent ” to jail ” is responsible for his action.
“I want to say that if anybody is desperate in the Oyo political firmament, it should be Governor Ajimobi who believes that if Shittu succeeds him, he will be in jail. That is what he is reported to have always told people who mentioned me to him.
“Why is he afraid of primaries? For seven years, he has been running the Local Governments alone without elected officers. What it means is that LG funds come directly into his pocket. He committed so many atrocities and that is why he is afraid of a Buhari coming to power in Oyo State.”
Buhari’s minister’s failure to make any impact at the congresses has renewed calls for early cabinet reshuffle, ahead of the 2019 general elections if President Buhari must make impact in that election. Apart from the low rating of most Ministers in terms of performance since they came on board, many of them are completely disconnected from Nigerians whose lives government policies and programs were expected to impact on positively.
For many, the need for such rejigging of the cabinet is ” long overdue”, even as they said only the President can determine the appropriate time for the cabinet reshuffle.
A Presidency source has hinted that the long awaited cabinet reshuffle may be implemented on 29th May, as part of the third year anniversary, of President Buhari’s Presidency.
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity said ” remember that three persons have already been selected from each of the affected states for consideration by the President, after which their names will be forwarded to security agencies for clearance.
“The President may use the May 29th Democracy Day broadcast to announce the cabinet reshuffle before their names are forwarded to the National Assembly for confirmation”
Elder statesman, Tanko Yankasai in a telephone interview with BusinessDay, said although the President reserved the right to decide when to reshuffle his cabinet, current challenges show that such decision will help the President’s rating.
“You see, every regime determines its activities and programs and this often influences the decision as to whether to change cabinet or not.”
A chieftain of the Adamawa state APC, James Barka, who spoke in the same vein, noted that ” the President will change his cabinet whenever he so desires”
Barka, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Tunisia, posited that the President may be biding his time because he is comfortable with the current crop of ministers.”
The President’s actions and body language show that he is not easily given to discarding those he is working with. President Muhammadu Buhari himself had once hinted that he was trying to fend off mounting pressures over his plans to reshuffle his cabinet.
Speaking at a banquet in his honour on a visit to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Buhari said he was forced to put aside his phones to avoid incessant calls or text messages from interested individuals.
“I have been promising to reshuffle the cabinet. For how long?, people are asking me. “So I put all my three phones in the drawer and locked them. So no matter how you try you can’t get me on the telephone. You just have to go through somebody you think is in the corridors of power to speak to me.”
The President said he has been under intense pressure since he made the promise “Too many people have been calling me and sending text messages.”
Having proved that they will have little or no electoral value in the 2019 elections, there is a feeling that Buhari will chose to discard some of his ministers now and bring in those who can mobilise votes at the grassroots for his second term ambition.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja.
