According to SaharaReporters, Obanikoro Forced Jonathan To Send List To Senate; Must Read:
Our source, who said he was privy to the discussion, added that
President Jonathan caved in to the former minister’s demands because
“Koro [as Mr. Obanikoro is popularly called] made it clear that, if he
is not given a ‘soft landing’ as a minister, he would not campaign for
Agbaje or for the PDP as a whole.” The source added that Mr. Obanikoro
had convinced the president and vice president that, despite his loss in
the gubernatorial primary, he is a widely popular politician in Lagos
State, with the capacity to help Mr. Jonathan and the PDP upset the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the February elections.
A well-connected source at the Presidency in Abuja has told
SaharaReporters about the behind-the-scenes maneuvers that forced
President Goodluck Jonathan to include the name of Musiliu Obanikoro on a
list of ministerial nominees that was hurriedly sent to the Senate for
approval. Those on the list include Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), Patricia
Akwashiki (Nasarawa) and Kenneth Kobani (Rivers).Mr. Jonathan’s decision to send the list to the Senate today struck
many political observers as curious, specifically because the Senate is
still on recess and would not resume until February 17, three days
after the presidential election. See more after the cut...
Our source at the Presidency disclosed that the timing of the
president’s submission of the list was dictated by demands made by Mr.
Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defense. Mr. Obanikoro had
resigned from his ministerial post in order to seek the nomination of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party’s governorship candidate
for Lagos State. In the party’s primary, Mr.
Obanikoro lost the governorship ticket to Mr. Jimi Agbaje.
“Chief Musiliu Obanikoro insisted that Mr. President [Goodluck
Jonathan] must compensate him again with a ministerial position as a
condition for him [Obanikoro] to support the party at
the February polls,” said our source.
Our source disclosed that
the former minister and failed governorship candidate set the condition
during a meeting he held a few days ago in Lagos with Vice President
Namadi Sambo.
Our source, who said he was privy to the
discussion, added that President Jonathan caved in to the former
minister’s demands because “Koro [as Mr. Obanikoro is popularly called]
made it clear that, if he is not given a ‘soft landing’ as a minister,
he would not campaign for Agbaje or for the PDP as a whole.” The source
added that Mr. Obanikoro had convinced the president and vice president
that, despite his loss in the gubernatorial primary, he is a widely
popular politician in Lagos State, with the capacity to help Mr.
Jonathan and the PDP upset the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the
February elections.
“He kept reminding the vice president about their agreement, and the
VP convinced Mr. President to send the list of ministers immediately in
order to carry Koro along,” said the source. He added: “Koro does not
want to lose out totally. So he told the vice president that the
agreement must be kept to.”
Mr. Jonathan reportedly felt that he
had no option than to hurriedly compile the names of a few nominees and
forward the list to the Senate.
Even though there are several other states without adequate
representation on the cabinet, Mr. Jonathan felt he needed to act fast
to send a list that included Mr. Obanikoro’s name in order to avoid
another political grudge in the Lagos State chapter of the PDP, a state
the president’s strategists are determined to capture.
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