Ahead of the confirmed cabinet reshuffle, a report has shown that some ministers and their godfathers have intensified lobbying to retain and remain in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Politics Nigeria reported on Wednesday, that the presidency confirmed that the Nigerian leader was planning a shakeup in his cabinet.
According to Punch, some aides in the presidency disclosed that some ministers have commenced frantic lobbying to be in the president’s good books.
One aide was quoted as saying, “Yes, that is a typical thing. Some of the ministers will be calling their godfathers to influence the President. It is a normal thing. But the President will still do what is on his mind for the country.”
The sources also revealed that some ministers, scared of losing their positions in the federal executive council, are now seeking the help of Tinubu’s allies and associates for “soft-landing.”
One of these president’s allies and associates is Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila was said to have shown concern given the intense lobbying and pressure being mounted on the president by those seeking assurances on the fate of their protégés in Tinubu’s cabinet.
As a result of this, one presidential source revealed that Gbajabiamila, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, advised Tinubu to take some time off in the UK.
This, the aide added, explained the reason Nigerians had no knowledge of the president’s whereabouts for a few days.
The source stated, “Since reports filtered out that the President would soon reshuffle his cabinet, he has been under immense pressure from political godfathers and ministers who are afraid that they may be dropped from the cabinet.
“Due to the intense pressure, the CoS had to advise the President to take some days off in the United Kingdom after concluding the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in China two weeks ago.
“Remember that for some days, Nigerians did not know about Tinubu’s whereabouts. After pictures of his meeting with King Charles surfaced online, people started speculating that he went to London for medical checks. The fact is that he was advised to spend a few days to allow the pressure and lobbying to subside.
“Anyway, it is not unusual for politicians to lobby on behalf of their wards, but Nigerians are not satisfied with the performance of many of the ministers, and the President would have no choice but to let them go. If you are not performing, you have to go, regardless of who your godfather is.”
