The Director of Strategic Communication of the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, Dele Alake, has denied reports that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is under pressure to choose his cabinet, with just six weeks to his inauguration.
He also dismissed rumours that Tinubu travelled abroad for medical attention. Rather, he said Tinubu was following developments in the country and was working ahead.
He said Tinubu was in a relaxed mood, working with little or no distraction in Paris and not in a rush to return home.
He stated, “He is relaxing in France and out of the range of pressure. He is taking his time to do his thing. Despite being away for a while, we are always following the news and developments in the country,” he stated.
Meanwhile, mixed feelings have continued to surround reports that the President-elect might be seeking to include people from the opposition parties into his cabinet.
The tension became heightened when a former presidential aspirant on the APC platform, Nicolas Felix, disclosed on an Arise TV programme on April 4 that Tinubu would look beyond the party lines to choose his cabinet and ministers.
Felix was one of the foot soldiers of the president-elect during his campaign rallies in the South-South.
A source within the camp of the former Lagos State governor also corroborated Felix’s position, adding, “Asiwaju is a man who rewards loyalty, commitment and hard work”.
The source maintained that it would be strange for Tinubu to leave out people like the Senator Chimaroke Nnamani; Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and others who contributed to his victory without compensation.
The source said others who might have some of their men appointed in the new administration were former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who was said to have delivered his state for the APC in the presidential election.
The development is coming in the wake of reports that the president-elect, who is presently in Paris, France, may have started working on his ministerial nominees and other cabinet members with the aid of his trusted aides and close allies.
Among those reportedly working with him abode are the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Alake; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale; Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, and a few key members of the APC PCC.
Allow Tinubu – Keyamo
When asked about the alleged plan by Tinubu to include non-card carrying members of the party, the chief spokesman for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, said it was Tinubu’s prerogative to decide those he would appoint into his.
He stated, “I cannot confirm or deny it. When the President-elect said he would go for competence, expectedly he would search far and wide for competent people. But I cannot specifically or definitely confirm or deny that. It is the complete prerogative of the President-elect.”
On how the APC leadership might react if Tinubu eventually appoints people outside the party, Keyamo said, “As I said, these are matters of conjecture and I cannot engage in conjecture at this period. It is at the complete discretion of the President-elect. I intend to leave it that way.”
‘APC members competent’
Meanwhile, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told our correspondent in an interview that he was sure the intention of the president-elect was misconstrued.
He warned that recruiting cabinet members outside the APC would pass a wrong message that the party was full of incompetent persons.
He said, “Are we saying there are no competent people in the APC? Just because the president-elect mentioned ‘government of national competence’, some persons are inferring that he wants to bring in people from the opposition. I think they are getting it wrong. It is akin to saying the entire APC is incompetent. That is incorrect. The APC is full of competent people.