Posted by There are clear signs that some senior members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State are working hard to secure the state’s cabinet position.
The State is seeing strong lobbying, with numerous political heavyweights examining their ties.
In order to help him lead the government, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must choose a minister from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Although two ministers came from Bauchi under the immediately preceding president, Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu will decide whether to offer Bauchi two berths.
Sen. Abubakar Markafi, the National Internal Auditor of the APC, Dr. Musa Babayo, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TETFund, and a former Chairman of the Education Trust Fund are among those receiving tips for the role.
Others include Mallam Isa Yuguda, a former governor of Bauchi state, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar Retd., Capt. Bala Jibrin, a party’s first internal auditor, and Capt.
According to information obtained by 460play, several stakeholders have been pleading with the president to nominate Abubakar as a minister. Abubakar is the party’s nominee for governor in the 2023 elections in Bauchi.
The action is intended to make amends for his efforts on behalf of the party in the state, which resulted in him casting more than 25% of the votes for Tinubu in the elections of 2023.
Even though Abubakar is challenging the election results, it’s thought the national leadership may be preparing a backup strategy in case he loses before the tribunal once more.
Abubakar is not only a party member, but also a governorship candidate. According to a source who spoke to DAILY POST, “It is 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 litigation in court having worked so hard for the party at the 2023 elections.”
Babayo, who oversaw planning, research, and strategy for the Tinubu/Shettima campaign, is also said to be in a strong position as a result of his alleged friendship with vice president Kashim Shettima.
Yuguda, a former Minister of State for Transport in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is regarded as another politician who is important.
According to sources, the former governor who was one of the first in Bauchi to begin contacting potential supporters for “Jagaban” is also in a good position.
Meanwhile, others feel that Muhammad Ali Pate, a former Minister of State for Health, may be taken into consideration by the president if he decides to go with technocrats because of his background in the healthcare industry.
“Pate is a technocrat, but his lack of a strong political basis in Bauchi presents a dilemma.
“Democracy, however, is not always predictable. He might be appointed if the Tinubu government determines that he is qualified given the experience he has already gained.
“Due to his contacts and experience, the Tinubu government might find him ideal. The administration can use him to accomplish some of its goals and objectives in terms of managing the system, according to a party source.
In addition, signs have lately surfaced that Pate may be returning home to accept a ministerial position in Tinubu’s administration after GAVI declared that he would not accept the position of its new CEO.
Pate had stated to GAVI, a group founded as a Global Health Partnership in 2000, that “he has taken an incredibly difficult decision to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria,” implying that he might be one of President Tinubu’s ministerial favorites. GAVI works to provide vaccines in low-income countries.
You may recall that in February 2023, Pate was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
On August 3, 2023, he was supposed to assume the top global post.
On Monday, June 26, 2023, GAVI revealed Pate’s choice to reject the position.