Tinubu To Reward Wike, El-Rufai, Nnamani As Northerners Get Key Positions

Indications have emerged revealing that President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has started putting together his cabinet ahead of May 29, when his administration would be sworn in.

Sources have disclosed that the former Lagos State governor plans to compensate Northern All Progressives Congress (APC) governors for the role they played in making sure a southern succeeded President Muhammadu Buhari and particularly backing his ambition.

According to New Telegraph, two northern governors who played important roles in Tinubu’s emergence, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, have been penciled down for juicy positions in the upcoming government.

While Ganduje is set to emerge as the next minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), El-Rufai will succeed Boss Gida Mustapha as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

A source disclosed to the platform that a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, who Tinubu nominated in 2015 for Buhari to be appointed Minister of Finance, has been penciled down to take over the Ministry of Finance.

Recall that Buhari had rejected Tinubu’s nominee in 2015 and appointed Kemi Adeosun, who was nominated by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, for the position.

The source also revealed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, will be appointed as the Chief of Staff to the President-elect.

While a former head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, and a former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, are also going to be in the cabinet, former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani will be rewarded for the role he played in supporting Tinubu despite the outcry and popularity of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi in the South-East region.

It was also learnt that some stakeholders in the ruling party are lobbying for the President-elect to compensate Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for his role in the presidential election.

These stakeholders are reportedly pushing for Governor Wike to nominate the minister that will represent the state in the cabinet.

According to New Telegraph, Tinubu is still holding a series of consultations from various interests despite taking a vacation abroad, intending to hit the ground running immediately after his swearing-in.