LOYALISTS of former and serving top functionaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are leading the frenetic scramble for their candidates to make the expected second batch of ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed at the weekend.
The battle is most intense in Plateau, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi, where members of power blocs loyal to former governors, ministers, and other influential chieftains of the APC missed the opportunity for their preferred choice to be included in the first batch of the nominees unveiled last Thursday in the Senate.
Zamfara was one of the states President Tinubu was able to secure the required 25 percent of votes in the February 25 election.
No fewer than four former governors, a senator and other APC chieftains in the state are at the centre of the unbridle supremacy contest on who emerges as the ministerial nominee from Zamfara, a similar scenario that is playing out in Gombe State.
Findings showed that the failure to have a nominee from Zamfara in the first set of prospective ministers was essentially due to the lack of compromise among the power brokers in APC in the state on a candidate.
A party executive, who spoke in confidence, told the Nigerian Tribune that between four and five names were lobbying to get the attention of the President.
He said: “The truth is all the various camps within the party have declared interest in who gets the ministerial slot for the state.”
Some party chieftains are pushing hard for a former governor of the state, Bello Matawalle to be nominated as minister in view of what they described as his antecedents and support for the party.
One of such APC stalwart is Yusuf Idris Gusau, who said the former governor ought to be compensated because of the fact that the party lost the state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, others are said to prefer the slot going to ex-Governor Mahmoud Shinkafi in appreciation of his role in steering the Directorate of APC support group during the pre-2023 general election campaign.
According to them, the groups were primarily self-sponsored and played a crucial role in the emergence of Tinubu as president.
Yet another group of party buffs believes the best person that ought to be nominated for Zamfara ministerial slot is Senator Kabir Marafa, who was the Director General of the Tinubu/ Shettima campaign organisation.
But the influence of former Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is now a senator in the choice of a nominee has also come to fore, as party leaders claimed that he has been playing a pivotal role since APC lost power in Adamawa in 2019.
Also, findings indicated that some party leaders prefer the ministerial slot for the state going to another former governor of Zamfara, Ahmed Yarima, saying he is not only the kingmaker of Zamfara politics but has also brokered peace in Zamfara APC.
It was he who convinced Matawalle to dump the PDP when the court gave him the mandate to govern the state.
Lagos
Lagos State aborigines are reportedly insisting the ministerial slot for the state must be the exclusive reserve of one of their own, Nigerian Tribune learnt.
Their marginalisation cries in Nigeria’s wealthiest and most-populated state, are reportedly getting the attention of the power brokers in President Tinubu’s circle, following their loss in the speakership race for the state House of Assembly.
Lagos is the home-state of the president and was one of the states excluded from the original list of 28 nominees, released by the new administration last week.
Lagos natives’ push to have their own occupy the speakership seat was unsuccessful as the incumbent, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, an indigene of Ogun State but constitutional resident of Lagos State, was re-elected for the third term.
With Obasa’s re-election as Speaker, a leader of the natives, General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, alleged that the first three citizens of the state, are Ogun indigenes.
The recently-released list of commissioner-nominees by governor Sanwo-Olu, has added to the debate over the alleged exclusion of Lagos indigenes in the governance structures of the state.
Critics are pointing out that the list is light on indigene integration.
The clearest indication that President Tinubu is likely considering yielding the state’s slot to the indigenes, according to insiders, is said to be the movement of Wale Edun’s nomination to Ogun State’s column, despite being a major political operative in Lagos.
Edun, a strong ally of the president, is nominated to represent Ogun State, clearing the path, for the likely nomination of a Lagos indigene, for the state.
Osun
Osun State, the rumoured root of the President was also without a nominee in the first batch, due to what has been put down to the politics of 2026 governorship election.
Immediate governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, widely tipped to emerge in the next round of the nomination due to his alleged filial relations with the President, is also rumoured to be eyeing the seat he lost last year to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the discomfort of other gladiators in the party.
His alleged comeback bid is reportedly tearing at the heart of a gentleman agreement.
Plateau
In Plateau State, there were strong indications that internal wrangling in the state chapter of APC might have been responsible for the non-inclusion of a nominee from the state in the ministerial nominees sent to the Senate last week.
The dismal performance of the party in the last election, where APC lost presidential and governorship elections but won one Senate seat, three House of Representatives’ seats and five members of the state House of Assembly, the stalwarts have been involved in a blame game that has polarised the party.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that members of the party, particularly those loyal to the immediate past Governor Simon Lalong, were taken aback that he did not make the list, having led the party to victory, more so that other former governors, especially those who are not members of the ruling party, were included.
Checks in Plateau APC revealed that some party stakeholders and leaders, among them, Senator Nora Daddut, CJ Dakas and Honourable Komsol Alphonsus Longgap, the immediate past member representing Mikang, Qua’an-Pan Shendam in the House of Representatives and Chief Amos Gizo, may be having interest in the ministerial slot.
It was gathered that while the state chapter of the party led by Honourable Rufus Bature was pushing for the former governor, others lobbied the higher authorities at the national level to position themselves for the slot, thus the apparent dilemma at the presidency.
A source close to the party at the national level told the Nigerian Tribune that the presidency was, however, disturbed by the way “those stalwarts are undermining one another.”
Gombe
In Gombe, the raging impasse between the State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and his erstwhile political godfather, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, is believed to be having a major effect on their supporters.
All efforts to reach a truce between the two failed in the past, particularly during the buildup to the elections as Senator Danjuma Goje reportedly failed to work for the re-election of the governor.
The supremacy war dovetailed into the politics of who emerges as the ministerial nominee for Gombe.
Though the national leadership of the APC had tried to amicably resolve the issue between the two, the efforts failed, while Goje was dissuaded from dumping the APC for another political party.
Meanwhile, the presidency is said to be comfortable with the senator because of his political influence.
But the camp of the governor is unrelenting in making sure that his camp wins the battle of wits, a development that may be settled by which camp produces the ministerial slot for the state.
Adamawa
A clash of interest among various blocs in Adamawa State APC which impacted negatively on its structure during past elections, is playing out over ministerial nomination for the state.
According to sources, the tussle denied the state from having a nominee on Tinubu’s first list of ministerial nominees.
However, before the list was finally made public, the names of Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, Honourable Abdulrazaq Namdas, Honourable Bala James Ngilari and Honourable Martins Babale were reportedly proposed for nomination.
Others included Professor Mamman Tahir and Dr Modi Halilu, who is the younger brother of the immediate past First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari.
According to sources, none of the names made the first batch of the ministerial list because the leaders, both at home and in Abuja, failed to reach a consensus on preferred choice.
It was gathered that at least four power blocs are locked in the chess game, among which are the camp of the former First Lady, that of the current National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and separate blocs loyal to APC governorship candidate, Senator Ashiatu Ahamed Binani and a former Secretary to the Government of Federation.
All the blocs were said to be at a crossroads on who to present as the nominee of the state to President Tinubu.
Recently, the camp of the governorship candidate lost the bid to control APC structure in the state as the acting state chairman loyal to her failed to become APC state be substantive chairman to the camp of Ribadu.
Though some APC chieftains claimed that President Tinubu was favourably disposed to the Adamawa Central senatorial district, the NSA (Ribadu) hails from the area.
Kano
In Kano, the drafting of the immediate past Governor Ibrahim Ganduje as possible replacement for Senator Abdullahi Adamu as APC national chairman, who recently resigned, has upped the ante in the lobby for a ministerial nominee to represent the state in the federal cabinet.
Ganduje, who as reportedly advised by the authorizes to nominate names to be considered for the slot was said to have proposed the names of former secretary of APC in the state Alhaji Suleiman Bichi and governorship candidate of the party, Dr Yusuf Gawuna.
But speculations that the presidency has soft spot for another former governor of the state, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, as well as Dr Musa Kwankwaso, though some APC stalwarts are opposed to the possible inclusion of the latter.
Kogi
The non-inclusion of a nominee from Kogi State in the first list came as a surprise to most people in the state due to speculations about Honourable James Abiodun Faleke representing Ikeja federal constituency, Lagos a preferred choice.
Also, the name of a former Kogi State Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Hadi Ametu was mentioned because of his closeness to President Tinubu.
Similarly, the name of an Aviation expert based in the United States, Ibrahim Salawu also mentioned.
Thus, there is suspense among different vested interests in the quest to have their preferred choice as ministerial nominee from the state.
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