After the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) won the presidential poll, intensive internal campaigning has started over the formation of the cabinet of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
Though some candidates have been marked down for definite offices, the selection of those to fill the sought-after “juicy” positions may not be an easy task, as powerful party members and others who gave Buhari support from outside the APC are pushing their own nominees.
According to Daily Post, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, may have been offered the Ministry of Finance in the Buhari government by the ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Soludo was a member of the economic team for the Obasanjo government prior to becoming the governor of the CBN.
Many APC leaders are said to be against him. One of the reasons is that Soludo remains a card-carrying member of the All Progressive Grand Alliance.
The other is that it was under Soludo that the banking sector almost collapsed, a situation confirmed by the former CBN chief and Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, a loyal supporter of the APC.
The former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu, is considered also to be strongly against Obasanjo’s recommendation.
Sources say he had in fact agreed a contract with Buhari prior to the APC presidential primaries regarding appointments to ministerial positions.
Tinubu is said to have drafted an agreement with Buhari, to which the president-elect added his signature.
According to the accord, the former Lagos governor will name nine ministers. Some of the positions are said to comprise Petroleum, Finance, Works, Federal Capital Territory and Interior.
It is for this reason that Tinubu opposes Soludo as minister of finance. Soludo is reported to have been persuaded by Obasanjo to accept the nomination.
Tinubu is now reportedly pulling the strings for President-elect Buhari’s transition team. Buhari is expected to constitute his transition team which will consist of politicians and private sector players that will enable his smooth takeover from the leaving President Goodluck Jonathan government.
