&w=64&q=75)
After weeks of speculations, President Bola Tinubu forwarded the names of his ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
The letter, bearing the nominees’ names, was presented to the Senate by the Chief of Staff to the President, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, during plenary on Thursday.
In the letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu sought confirmation of 28 ministerial nominees into his cabinet.
It was an intriguing development as many had expected the President to pick at least 36 nominees in line with the constitutional requirement of at least one minister from each of the 36 states in Nigeria.
But even more interesting were some noticeable absentees in the list of nominees. While the President pulled little surprises with his selection, the major upset was perhaps leaving out some usual suspects.
If there’s any quality Tinubu has displayed throughout his political journey, it’s his unapologetic commitment to honouring agreement and rewarding loyalty. It was, therefore, curious not to see some names on his ministerial pick.
However, as hinted in his letter to the Senate and later confirmed by Gbajabiamila, Tinubu intends to send 13 more names to the National Assembly for confirmation, so all hope is not lost yet for some of the overlooked politicians.
This piece looks at seven big names omitted from Tinubu’s ministerial list.
Kayode Fayemi
The former governor of Ekiti State isn’t only a longtime ally of the President but was also one of the aspirants who stepped down for Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election.
He was also visible throughout the electioneering period and went on foreign trips with Tinub before and after the election. Perhaps it was their closeness, as well as his educational background and political experience, that put Fayemi in the conversation for a ministerial appointment.
But, given that the President has already picked a nominee from Ekiti and could only select three more from the South-West region with Lagos and Osun still on the queue, the odds are now stacked against Fayemi.
Festus Keyamo
The immediate former Minister of State for Labour and Employment played important role in the campaign of Tinubu for president.
As the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Keyamo led the media onslaught against the opposition and was vociferous in his defence of Tinubu following several controversial allegations.
It was no surprise that he was among the people speculated for a ministerial position, but the Delta State-born lawyer may have to settle for another position in the current government.
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu
Bagudu was one of the Northern state governors in the APC who pushed for the party’s presidential ticket to be zoned to the South.
After failing his senatorial bid, the former Kebbi State governor was projected to be heading for a ministerial appointment in Tinubu’s administration, and being part of the President’s transition committee seemed to have solidified that.
Tinubu was yet to nominate anyone from Kebbi State and that leaves Bagudu with a glimmer of hope but the public sentiment against former governors being given ministerial appointments may be his death knell.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Though he’s not in the same party as the President, Kwankwaso was expected to make an appearance on the list due to his recent romance with Tinubu.
The former Kano State governor is the only one among the top presidential hopefuls who didn’t challenge Tinubu’s victory in court. He met Tinubu in France back in April, where the two reportedly struck an alliance.
The NNPP presidential flag-bearer in the 2023 election has also visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, leading to claims that he’s been promised a ministerial slot.
Babatunde Fashola
Fashola is another longtime ally of the President. He succeeded Tinubu as the Lagos State governor in 2007, having served as his Chief of Staff for four years.
He also played a strategic role in the Tinubu campaign council, setting up and coordinating the APC situation room, where results from each of the 176,606 polling units in the country were collated.
Fashola remains one of the few public servants who have distinguished themselves in service, and he also starred in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, making him a top choice for ministerial appointment.
Simon Lalong
Lalong was the Director-General of the APC-PCC, and his selection gave the Tinubu- Shettima ticket some impetus following criticisms of the Muslim-Muslim choice.
Though Lalong had hoped to move to the senate after the end of his two-term tenure as Plateau State governor, he lost his election on February 25 and bagging a ministerial appointment appeared like an adequate compensation.
But with that now hanging in the balance, the former governor can only hope that the President will look at his side when he decides who to select from his Plateau state.
Ben Ayade
If there was anyone from the names omitted from the list with no chance of making the second batch, that is the former Cross River State governor
Ayade was ignored by the President as he selected Senator John Owan Enoh and Dr Betta Edu as nominees from Cross River and this comes as a big surprise.
The former governor was tipped to secure a place in the federal cabinet following his defeat in the senatorial election, but that looks all dead now.