Ministers Panic Over Looming Cabinet Shake-Up
Ministers in the Federal Government have been panic-stricken since the news broke that President Goodluck Jonathan had concluded plans for a major shake-up in his cabinet, investigations have revealed.
It was learnt on Friday that while some ministers would be shown the way out, some others will swap positions.
The anxiety among the ministers, it was further learnt, was heightened because they were not sure of the criteria that might be adopted to decide their fate.
Since the plan of the Presidency is to constitute “an election cabinet” ahead of the President’s declaration of interest in the 2015 election, political clouts of the ministers will likely be a major factor.
Performance will also play a role in the fate of the technocrats among them.
It was further learnt that the ministerial nominees that will make the list that will be forwarded to the Senate next week is a fraction of the vacancy currently in the cabinet.
There are currently 12 ministerial vacancies in the cabinet.
“The nominees have undergone security screening. Not all the vacancies will be filled with this list but a substantial amount of them will be filled,” a top Presidency source told SUNDAY PUNCH.
While justifying the plan to change the portfolios of some ministers, the source said the idea was to give the cabinet “a new look.”
He, however, did not name those who might be affected in the new arrangement.
Our correspondent learnt that ministers who have ambitions to contest elections will form a chunk of those that will be leaving the cabinet soon.
For instance, Minister of Police Affairs, Navy-Cpt. Caleb Olubolade (retd.), is eyeing the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for the Ekiti State governorship election holding later in the year.
Other ministers who are eyeing the governorship seats of their states are Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku (Nassarawa); Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe (Delta) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed (Bauchi).
Reports also have it that the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who was deputy to former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State is also eyeing a senatorial seat.
Source: Legit.ng
