President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to urgently save his party, the
All Progressives Congress (APC), from sliding into crisis by reversing
some of the nomination for ministerial positions he made.
A statement yesterday, by a group, Save Democracy Contingent (SDC),
alleged that some of the nominees were not members of the APC but got
their appointments because they have relationships with a “cabal” within
the Presidency and therefore do not merit their appointments.
The group in the statement jointly signed by its President, Ade Ibitutu,
and other officials, namely Ahmed Jibrin, Okon Eta and Chijioke Nkwocha,
alleged that Zainab Ahmed, the nominee from Kaduna, was nominated because
she is a cousin to the state governor, Nasir El- Rufai, adding that Aisha
Abubakar was allegedly nominated for being the daughter of Abubakar Alhaji
and niece of Mamman Daura.
Recall that President Buhari has so far forwarded names of 37 Nigerians in
two batches to the Senate for confirmation as ministers.
However, the president, last week, withdrew nomination of a former deputy
governor of Niger State, Ahmed Ibeto.
The upper house has already confirmed 18 of the nominees, with the
remaining 18 to be screened tomorrow (Tuesday), for subsequent
confirmation.
The SDC also claimed that Suleiman Adamu was nominated merely for being
Mr. Buhari’s nephew while Khadija Abba Bukar Ibrahim was picked because
she was the wife of Abba Bukar Ibrahim, three time governor of Yobe State.
In the South, the group alleged that a former Vice Chancellor of the
University of Ibadan, Isaac Adewole, was nominated “merely to make sure
that the imprimatur of the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is
absent, despite the gentleman agreement reached with the governor of Osun
State before Colonel Olagunsoye Oyilola (rtd) decamped to APC.”
It also alleged that Claudius Daramola was chosen to diminish the hold of
a former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, in the South West.
The SDC further claimed that Anthony Anwuka, a professor, was nominated
because he is an in-law to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, “in
spite of the fact that he was indicted by a White Paper of Visitation
Panel led by S.A. Nsofor, JCA, which investigated the affairs of Imo State
University and against the declaration of Justice Ngozi Opara of Imo State
High Court on 29th of January, 2013.”
It said the appointment of persons indicted into position of authority is
illegal, unconstitutional, immoral, null and void is binding.
It also faulted the appointment of Geoffrey Onyeama, an indigene of Enugu
State, who it said was nominated because he was a class mate and friend of
Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the President
It further claimed that Okechukwu Enelama was nominated merely for being
the Deputy Pastor to the Vice President.
The group said, “Unfolding events have shown that our great Party the APC
is dangerously sliding into crisis of unimaginable dimension. Our genuine
fear is that if APC implodes or runs into the palpable crisis being brewed
wittingly or unwittingly by a cabal around Mr President, it will
definitely impact negatively in the country’s democratic landscape.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we are not making this statement because no
youth made his ministerial list; but genuine concern to say capital NO to
the deceit making rounds that the cabal which hijacked power from
President Buhari is Kaduna Mafia. The tag of Kaduna Mafioso is being
weaved to hold tightly on Northerners who in all Mr President’s four
elections of 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 pro bono obliged him vote bank of
12 million votes.”
The group stated that its analysis showed that the cabal was a
sophisticated fascist variant, with uncanny capacity exemplified by the
response of some sections of the country when it was alleged that Mr.
Tinubu, the national leader of the APC, complained over the lopsided
nature of the initial appointments the president made.
“The crass nepotism and cronyism unfortunately have spread across in the
ministerial nomination,” the group argued.
“It is akin to the early days of Hitler’s fascism; where people will say
the annihilation doesn’t concern them because they are not communists nor
Jews or Catholics, until it spread.
“The Fascist Cabal is given an impression that President Buhari will run
for one term, even if this is the case; is it enough reason to kill APC?
Or kill the integrity quotient of President Buhari?”
The SDC said though it was not challenging the powers of the president
under the 1999 Constitution to appoint whomsoever he deemed fit, he
should, in the interest of fairness, equity, natural justice and survival
of APC, urgently “reverse the Signature of the Fascist Cabal, especially
in the 2nd Ministerial Nominees List as the Window of Substitution is
still wide open.”
It said, “Accordingly, we appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, to
urgently reverse the ignoble Signature of the Fascist Cabal, as the window
of substitution is still open.
“This will quickly redeem Your Excellency’s image, which the main
opposition party – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gone to town,
narrating the ugly tale that Mr President is never in