Nigeria’s Tinubu rewards 16 members of campaign council with ministerial appointments 

Of the 28 nominees, about 20 are politicians while eight are established professionals in the field of business, health and law. At least 16 of the nominees were members of Tinubu’s campaign council 

Notable on the list are four former governors who played key roles in Tinubu’s victory.

They are: Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State; ex-Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State who currently serves as the deputy majority leader of the Senate; former Governor Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State and controversial opposition Governor, Nyesom Wike.  

All the ex-governors were part of Tinubu’s campaign council except Wike who worked for the President against his party behind the scenes. 

Other notable politicians on the list include: Senator Abubakar Kyari who is the current acting chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senator John Enoh who was the party’s governorship candidate in Cross River in 2019. Both Enoh and Kyari were part of Tinubu’s campaign council. Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi who is a former acting Governor of Taraba State also made it to the list. 

Senator Ekperikpe Ekpo, who had last year emerged as senatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom State but later withdrew for Senate President Godswill Akpabio, was also rewarded with a ministerial appointment. 

A four-term female federal lawmaker, Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejocha from Abia State, who was swept away by the Peter Obi phenomenon in the southeast, is also on the ministerial list along with two-time member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh, who defected from the opposition to the ruling APC in Edo State in 2019. 

Chairman/CEO Blueprint Newspapers Limited, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who was a governorship aspirant in Niger State and later Director Strategic Communications of Tinubu’s campaign council, also made it to the ministerial list. 

The nominee from Sokoto State is Bello Muhammad Goronyo, the zonal Secretary North West of the APC who was also the northwest director of youth mobilisation of Tinubu’s campaign council. 

Betta Edu and Hannatu Musawa who were members of Tinubu’s campaign have also been rewarded with ministerial slots. Edu is currently the national women leader of the party while Musawa currently serves as the President’s adviser on culture. 

Uche Nnaji, who was the APC governorship candidate in Enugu State in the last election is one of the politicians on the ministerial list. Nnaji was coordinator for the President’s campaign in Enugu. 

Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who currently serves as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, made the list. Tuggar is a veteran politician having served in the House of Representatives and run unsuccessfully for governor of Bauchi State twice.  

Dele Alake, a veteran journalist and confidant of the President who currently serves as his spokesman, made it to the ministerial list. Alake was also in charge of communications during the Presidential campaign and once ran for Senator in Ekiti State. 

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a member of the House of Representatives with years of experience in ICT, also made it to the list. Tunji-Ojo was on the policy and research committee of the President’s campaign and was re-elected for a second term into the House recently. 

Technocrats not left out 

Also on the list is seasoned banker, Wale Edun, who currently serves as the President’s financial adviser. Edun, who served as finance commissioner in Lagos State while Tinubu was governor in the early 2000s, is expected to coordinate the economy. He was head of finance in Tinubu’s campaign council. 

Adebayo Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the central bank, also made the cut even though he dumped the ruling party last year and ran for governor of Oyo State on the platform of another party. 

On the list is Stella Okotete an executive director at the Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank and member of the ruling APC in Delta State. She was the secretary of the planning committee in the President’s campaign. 

A former CEO of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Ahmed Dangiwa, who was last month appointed as the secretary to the state government of Kaduna State, also made it to the list.  

Doris Uzoka Anite, who currently serves as finance commissioner in Imo State is also among the nominees. Anite worked in Zenith Bank for 20 years before her appointment. 

Also nominated is Muhammed Pate who served as a junior health minister in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Pate had been appointed as the CEO of GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, but stepped down before his formal resumption in order to take this ministerial appointment. He is expected to get the health portfolio.  

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, a former director-general of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is also on the list. She was an assistant secretary in Tinubu’s campaign. 

Lateef Fagbemi, a senior advocate who is also representing the ruling APC at the Presidential tribunal, made the cut. Fagbemi is being tipped for the attorney-general portfolio. 

Mrs Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, who was the only female Presidential aspirant in the ruling party, was also rewarded with a ministerial nomination. Ohaneye later stepped down for Tinubu and was made the vice chairman of Tinubu’s campaign.