President Jonathan rumoured to appoint Peter Obi new Aviation Minister

Following the sack of Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, President Goodluck Jonathan has now to choose another Anambra State representative to fill the currently vacant position in the Executive Council of the Federation. It appears that President Jonathan might grant the slot to the former Governor of the state, Peter Obi.

It would be recalled that Oduah was relieved of her duties for being involved in the illicit purchase of two $1.6m armoured BMW vehicles by the Aviation Ministry.

Peter Obi is a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and a friend of the President. The appointment, if made, would not stir any rough backlash, as evident from a poll conducted by Premium Times.

Executive Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) and a factional chairman of the PDP in Anambra State, Ken Emeakaiyi, supports the possible development. Peter Obi, according to him, knows Anambra residents' wishes and pledged support to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Victor Ogene, leader of the APGA in Anambra, noted that the President is not taking into consideration political affiliations of the candidates; moreover, there were similar case when a candidate from a different political party would become ministers. Mr. Ogene cited the precedent that happened in 1999: then-President Olusegun Obasanjo granted a statutory ministry as Minister of Mines and E-development to the late Chief Bola Ige, and later appointed him as Attorney General of the Federation, despite the fact that Chief Ige didn't belong to the PDP at the time.

Mr. Ogene commended Peter Obi for carrying "Nigerian agenda" beyond "his own political meaning," and assuring the Aviation sector would "do him just better".

Anambra chapter of the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) say they are not in the position to comment on the issue, unlike the APGA or the PDP. However, APC member Okelo Madukaife apparently commented on Obi-PDP relations by saying it is improper for a politician to "be one thing in the daytime and another thing in the night". He said such behaviour is misleading and should be discouraged.

However, the latest governorship election results in Anambra State suggest that not all members of the PDP support the apparent close relations between Peter Obi and his APGA and President Jonathan.

It would be recalled that the three major candidates vying for the position were Willie Obiano of the APGA (elected governor), Chris Ngige of the APC, and Tony Nwoye of the PDP.

Obiano was declared winner despite public protests of the both Nwoye and Ngige who claimed that the elections were flawed. The two are still challenging Obiano's victory at the tribunal.

Furthermore, political observers (former President Olusegun Obasanjo among them) have accused the PDP and President Jonathan of "abandoning" the party's candidate and supporting the APGA's in the election.

Source: Legit.ng