Attempts by some of the ministers, who resigned their positions to contest the gubernatorial elections in their respective states, to return to their work in the presidency may have been rebuffed by the powers that be, BD SUNDAY can report.
The foiled attempt was made following the inability of the former ministers to clinch the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s ticket to contest the gubernatorial election in February 2015.
A source in the Presidency told BD SUNDAY that despite tendering their resignation letters, some of the former ministers were lobbying to return to their seats on facing hostile environment back in their home states.
“It was obvious that they miscalculated. They did not do their home work properly, and probably thought they had the goodwill of their people. But they were soon to learn that politics is a grassroots thing; if they don’t know you, they don’t know you. They will accept your money and be glad to spend it and still vote for whosoever they want to vote for,” the source, who craved anonymity, said.
The source further recalled that “at the valedictory session in honour of the ministers, the President specifically told them in clear terms that whoever fails in his governorship bid will not be returned to the cabinet. This was why some of them didn’t tender their letter immediately. But when they finally did and went back home, the environment became hostile, as it dawned on them that the picture they saw while in office was different from what was on ground after they resigned.”
“Although they tried to go back to their ministry to continue as ministers, they were, however, reminded by the powers that be that it wasn’t possible anymore,” the source added.
BD SUNDAY gathered that owing to their shattered dreams, a few of them may have concluded plans to dump PDP, while one or two of them have already done so.
The eight former ministers who voluntarily resigned to contest the gubernatorial primaries in their respective states under in PDP but were defeated include Samuel Ortom (Benue), former trade and commerce minister; Emeka Wogu (Abia), former labour minister; Yerima Ngama (Yobe), former minister of state for finance; Labaran Maku (Nasarawa), former information minister, and Mohammed Ali Pate (Bauchi), former minister of state for health. Others are Godsday Orubebe (Delta), former minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), former minister of state for defence, and Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi), former health minister.
Three of the former ministers – Maku, Ngama and Obanikoro – hail from states controlled by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
The source also told BDSUNDAY that in what could be described as premonition of the fate that awaited them, some of them were reluctant to submit their resignation letters for fear of the unknown at the time valedictory session was held in their honour in October.
ELIZABETH ARCHIBONG & OWEDE AGBAJILEKE
