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-Tinubu to Sack Ministers, Rejig Cabinet
By Bayo Davids
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in disarray with the ruling party struggling to put its house in order. The development, according to informed sources, is unsettling President Bola Tinubu whose second-term ambition, is facing a legion of threats.
The latest trouble started with last week’s visit of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to the Kaduna residence of Nigeria’s immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku led a delegation comprising chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some aggrieved APC stalwarts to Buhari; a move that is said to be causing panic within the ruling party’s fold.
With Atiku were the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; former governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; former governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam; former governor of Adamawa, Jibrilla Bindow; former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Minister of Communications in the Buhari-led government, Isa Pantami.
In what appeared a demonstration of calm, the APC National Chairman dismissed the visit, insisting that neither he nor the party was troubled by Atiku and his team. He, however, hurriedly arranged a visit of his own, accompanied by members of the National Working Committee members of his party to meet with Buhari in Kaduna.
Asked if Atiku’s earlier visit was something to worry about, Ganduja dismissed the insinuation, saying, “We are not worried at all. We came to pay our respects to the former president and also to update him on the achievements of our great party since his departure. We assured him that we would continue to keep him informed regularly.
Continuing, the former Kano State Governor said, “That visit (of Atiku and his group) is of no concern to us. It’s just another attempt at repeating history, but it won’t work. What they are trying to build is not viable. Some particles simply cannot come together.
He added that the ruling party has what it takes to keep the opposition in check.
“We won’t disclose our intricacies or technicalities, but we are equal to the task. The progress President Tinubu has made in strengthening the party even further,” he said, adding that governors elected on the platform of opposition parties may team up with APC in the build-up to the 2027 polls.
Hear him, “Some governors may join us, or we may defeat them at the polls. Either way, we are expanding our reach. We’re comfortable with where we are, but we are not resting on our oars. Bigwigs from other parties are joining us. The few who left don’t matter in the bigger picture.”
This posturing notwithstanding, Pointblanknews gathered that the mission of Ganduje to Kaduna was to appeal to Buhari to lend a hand of support to the Presidency at its trying time.
A credible source who pleaded anonymity told this medium that the APC National Chairman specifically urged the former President to halt the rift in the camp of the ruling party.
According to the lanky fellow, Ganduje pleaded with Buhari to play the role of a party man who is not expected to keep sealed lips when things are not going the right way for a party on which platform he was elected twice to preside over the affairs of the nation.
He said, “It is a big lie if they claim that Atiku’s visit did not rattle them. They were worried and are still worried. The silence of President Buhari at a time when some of his trusted allies are either leaving the party or keeping a low profile is giving the APC sleepless nights.
“So, Ganduje pleaded with Buhari to play the role of an ambassador of the Tinubu-led government even though he had already said he wouldn’t stop members of his defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc from joining a coalition of their choice.
Al-Makura to Appease CPC members
Meanwhile, a confidant of Mr Buhari and former Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura has been pencilled down by the top echelon of APC to convince CPC members to give Tinubu a chance to turn a new leaf.
Buhari’s loyalists including former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; ex-Communication Minister, Isa Patami; erstwhile Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; one-time Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, have been left in the periphery of power politics since Tinubu’s victory at the polls and subsequent inauguration.
Following the recent defection of Mallam El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party and his open invitation to Argbesola and co to join him to oust APC in 2027, Al-Makura, another sidelined APC chieftain, is said to have been picked as the man to broker peace between Tinubu and the aggrieved members.
“Al-Makura is very close to Buhari. Given that Ganduje did not get a commitment from the former President; his job is to continue to plead with this block to support the party. At this stage and with preliminary preparations for the next election cycle set to begin soon, we cannot afford to have a divided house,” a source at the APC secretariat told Pointblanknews.
Imminent Cabinet Reshuffle
Insider sources told our correspondent one of the grudges Buhari has about the incumbent administration is the performance of some cabinet members.
The former President is said to have confided in some of his close allies that the Tinubu-led government has performed below expectation, courtesy of the Ministers overseeing critical sectors of the economy.
Consequently, President Tinubu, Pointblank gathered, is planning to relieve some of his ministers of their current duties, ahead of a planned cabinet reshuffle billed for either May or June 2025.