Posted by Some prominent members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bauchi State appear to be trying to secure the state’s ministerial position.
There is a lot of lobbying going on in the state, and a lot of powerful people trying to make connections.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must nominate a minister representing each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Although two ministers were appointed from Bauchi while Muhammadu Buhari was in office, whether or not Tinubu decides to do the same is up to him.
Sen. Abubakar Markafi, a former Chairman of the Education Trust Fund, and Dr. Musa Babayo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TETFund, are among individuals who have been mentioned as possible candidates.
Former Governor of Bauchi state, Mallam Isa Yuguda, is another. Others include Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar Retd, Captain Bala Jibrin, a pioneer internal auditor of the party, and Isa Yuguda.
According to information acquired by KURYALOADED, a number of influential people want the President to elevate Abubakar, the party’s nominee for governor in the 2023 elections in Bauchi, to a cabinet position.
This is to reward him for his efforts on behalf of the party in the state, which ultimately resulted in a vote total for Tinubu of over 25%.
Even though Abubakar is appealing the election results, the national leadership may be working on a backup strategy in case he loses at the tribunal once again.
To quote a source for KURYALOADED “It’s up to Mr. President to appoint anybody, but Abubakar is not just a member but a governorship candidate of the party, and it’s a clarion call that will not affect his fortune in the ongoing litigations in court having worked so hard for the party at the 2023 elections.”
Babayo, who oversaw the Tinubu/Shettima campaign’s planning, research, and strategy, is also thought to be in a pivotal role because of his rumored closeness to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Another influential politician is Yuguda, who served as Minister of State for Transport under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The former governor who, according to KURYALOADED sources, was among the first to begin canvassing supporters for ‘Jagaban’ in Bauchi is also in a strong position, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, some people think that Muhammad Ali Pate, a former Minister of State for Health, would be considered if the president opts for technocrats because of his background in the health sector.
The problem is that Pate, although being a technocrat, does not have a strong political foundation in Bauchi.
But democracy isn’t always predictable. Tinubu’s government may nominate him if they think he deserves the position based on his prior work and education.
His background and contacts could make him a good fit for the Tinubu administration. According to a member of the ruling party, “the government can use him to achieve some of its aims and objectives in terms of running the system.”
After GAVI declared that Pate would not be taking the position of CEO, rumors began to circulate that he may be returning to Nigeria to accept a cabinet position in Tinubu’s administration.
Pate had mentioned to GAVI, an organization founded in 2000 as part of a Global Health Partnership to provide vaccines to low-income countries, that “he has taken an incredibly difficult decision to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria,” implying that he may be one of President Tinubu’s ministerial favorites.
You may recall that in February of 2023, Pate was named CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
On August 3, 2023, he was scheduled to assume his post as world leader.
However, GAVI announced Pate’s rejection of the nomination on Monday, June 26, 2023.