Barring any last-minute hitch, President Bola Tinubu may on June 12 make known the list of the members of his cabinet, who will no longer be members of the Federal Executive Council as he begins the second half of his first term.
This has led to anxiety for those who have not performed well in their assigned responsibilities since they came on board two years ago. There is also apprehension in the All Progressives Congress(APC), as members await the new list and those of Ambassadors-designate.
Sunday Telegraph sources in Abuja and Lagos stated that the list was ready and that the president would make them public after the Eid al-Kabir Celebrations.
Our Sources, who spoke on conditions of anonymity because they are not authorised to do so, said that the President Tinubu arrived at the decision based on the report of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Implementation, Hadiza Bala Usman, the President’s Inner Caucus, which has done a covert assessment on all the Ministers using two criteria: Policy Implementation and Political leverage.
“The evaluation team, led by Hadiza Bala Usman, has submitted its report. They submitted a forensic report of evaluation on the performance of the ministers and some of the Special Advisers and key members of the administration. The reports have been handed over to Mr President, who has the final say on who stays and who goes,” one of the Sources said.
“We are told that some of the ministers have done well while some have been anonymous, both on policy matters and political matters. Some of them have not matched up to deliverables and have also not helped the president in their localities in terms of garnering support for him,” the Source added.
Further, the source said that those who fall into that category have to leave. “We are told that after the Sallah, the president may tinker with the cabinet on or ahead of June 12 celebration/democracy day.”
“Some of the ministers have just been sleeping. They have done next to nothing even on the political side.
“The man is, in a way, trying to act on the report sent by the outward panel or commission headed by Hadiza Bala Usman. She has submitted her report. There is also that of his inner caucus, who have also done a covert assessment of the ministers.
“The President is going to compare the two with the one submitted by the Special Adviser on Policy Implementation, headed by the woman from Kaduna, and the one submitted by his people working with the President. You might see that because of the inclination that he might tinker with the cabinet, some of his ministers have been rolling out their achievements in newspapers and television adverts, and also their political leverage you are bringing in, and the way you are connecting the political people in your area. Those are the three criteria. They are going to consider your contribution to the government on the political level.”
Sunday Telegraph gathered that some of the ministers have been very anonymous. Unfortunately, his nephew, as it were, the Minister of the Blue Economy, has not done too well.
“The Minister of the Digital Economy was said to have started well. He slowed down a bit but he has picked up again, and is also doing well. Nyesom Wike has also done very well on all fronts. And the president is pleased with that. Those are the ones we know,” our source added.
Another Source continued: “The others, they are said to be on average. The president said he would make the decision, since he has the power to fire and hire. So everybody is watching. Some of the ministers are not comfortable. It is almost certain that three or four of them will have to leave.”
It was learnt that while some of the inner circle were asking for a wholesale change, the president is also looking at 2027. Some people may come in to give him political advice.
“Some of the appointments being made will pander to some of those tips. He is also doing well, ensuring that the marginalisation noise is coming down from the North, and some of them will get more in the emerging scenario. We are also told that the president may finally release the list of the ambassadors at the end of his stay in Lagos.
“Some of the names are still on the list, and some of them have been removed. For instance, a former governor in the Southwest was formerly on the list, but some of the President’s men are unhappy that he was hobnobbing with the opponents of the President on the 2027 coalition.
“The list has been done, and the president has insisted that it would be done on federal character. Of course, one or two friends of the president are on the list. Each state will be adequately represented, with the key posting done on a regional basis. That is what the president has decided.”
Suspense in APC as members new names
There is suspense and hope among members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over their expectations for the Presidency to rejig the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
This, they expected to happen on May 29, which was the second anniversary of the present administration.
However, it seems that their expectations of the reshuffling of the cabinet might not come to pass soon.
According to a presidential source, the anticipation that the FEC would be rejigged at the second anniversary of the present administration to bring in new FEC members has been put on hold.
The need for the rejigging was for the preparations of 2027 general elections, a presidential source revealed.
The Presidency had last year had a minor reshuffling of the cabinet as five ministers were dropped.
Among the Ministers that were dropped were the Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Women Affairs and Minister for Youth Affairs.
Also, there was transfer and upgrading of some Ministers in last year’s reshuffling.
The Presidency source, who preferred anonymity, explained that many party members were waiting for the reshuffling that would bring in new members into the cabinet, that would help to project the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 election.
According to the source: “It is obvious that the Presidency is having challenges in delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda policies. This is as a result of some ministers not delivering.
“For instance, there is no change in the Security sector with the two Ministers of Defence and the Service Chiefs.
“The expectations of many party members was that the Presidency would remove dead woods.”
“The only Ministers or Ministries one could say are doing something you can put your hands on are the Ministers of FCT, Works, Aviation and Interior.
“When you take away these Ministers and Ministries, you can see the cabinet as flat.
“Also, the inability of the Presidency to inaugurate the governing Boards constituted since January is also a factor.
“For instance, boards like FAAN, NYSC and many others that were constituted since January were yet to be inaugurated.
“These governing board members ought to have helped the Ministers to oversee the activities and administration of the agencies and parastatals.”
Speaking with a party member from the APC National Secretariat, the party chieftain also expressed regrets over the party’s achievements.
According to the chieftain: “The President should rejig his cabinet and bring in people who have ability to help him win re-election.
“The President should stop listening to party members with the notion that he has no rival come 2027.
“What party chieftains are saying are quite different from what the people are saying and the people are to determine who wins election through their votes.
