Goodbye to Abuja: Jonathan’s men on 

governorship prowl

By Emmanuel Aziken, Clifford Ndujihe and Charles Kumolu

IT was a moving time for President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting as he announced the decision of some of his ministers to step down from the cabinet.

The president, it seemed, was not willing to allow some of the ministers go, a fact underlined by the fact that as he made the announcement when the council reached Any Other Business, AOB, he was himself not sure of the definite number of ministers exiting his cabinet.

“Those that may not be with us next Wednesday are Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Minister of State, Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike; Minister of State Industry, Trade, Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom; Minister of State Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Minister of State Niger Delta Affairs, Arch. Dairus Dickson Ishiaku and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu.”

“Assuming they change their mind, they may join us. It is only good that we will wish them well in their future endeavours, having served this country meritoriously,” the president added.

Indeed, after the meeting, the president took time to again interact with each of the outgoing ministers who had in the past indicated to him that they were leaving. “Are you sure you really want to go,” one of the outgoing ministers quoted the president as asking him as he rued the exit of some of his right hand men.

The president, it was gathered, was, however, inclined to the fact that the seven men that had made up their minds to exit were going as his own ambassadors to the political terrain. He was also withdrawn to the fact that the men had to pursue their political goals.

Labaran Maku

But there was one surprise exclusion at the send off, Senator Bala Mohammed, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who had been widely expected to exit the cabinet to contest the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Bauchi State.

Senator Mohammed who has been in the cabinet since the inception of the Jonathan regime in 2010, presidency sources disclosed, was held back by a last minute urge by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.  Mrs Jonathan who has acted as a mother figure to Senator Mohammed, was said to have prevailed on him to remain in Abuja, as minister.

Labaran Maku – Nasarawa

Mr. Labaran Maku, a former student union activist, had long had his eyes on the political terrain. The former journalist turned politician first got the bug with his appointment as commissioner for information in the Governor Adamu Abdullahi regime in Nasarawa State.

He was subsequently elevated to the position of deputy governor of the state in Adamu’s second term. Maku is from the major Eggon tribe in Nasarawa that has not been able to produce a governor for the state. Maku has been deeply involved in the governorship contest and is bound to face serious obstacles from long time godfather of Nasarawa politics, Senator Solomon Ewuga, who recently returned to the PDP and is also inching to contest the election.

Chief Emeka Wogu – Abia

*Chief Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity

Wogu, like Maku, has been in the cabinet since 2010. He is aiming to become the first man from Abia South Senatorial District to become governor.

His advantages in the contest include the fact that he has been able to reasonably discharge his duties as a minister, and unlike many of his rivals from the favoured Abia South, he is able to count on his mother’s ancestry from Arochukwu and Umuechi in Abia North.

Wogu is also considered as one of those in position to build on whatever legacies the outgoing administration of Chief Theodore Orji may have built given Wogu’s past relationship with the governor. He worked under Orji as a special adviser while the latter was chief of staff in the Chief Orji Uzor Kalu administration.

Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu -Ebonyi

The outgoing minister of Health is one of the surprise elements that recently emerged as a possible governor in the federal cabinet. He was arguably the most confident of the seven exiting the cabinet to transform into a governor given the full backing of the outgoing governor of the state, Chief Martins Elechi.

PROF. ONYEBUCHI CHUKWU

Chukwu’s chances are also boosted by the fact that the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has decided not to enter the fray despite earlier suggestions to that fact.

However, even with the governor’s backing, Chukwu is bound to face stiff resistance given the fact that the influential politicians in Ebonyi North and Central senatorial districts are strongly against power shift. Even strong family and political associates of the governor are said to be against the governor’s choice of Chukwu and may be prepared to sabotage the choice if given the opportunity in a free and fair primary.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro – Lagos

Until Jimi Agbaje’s entry into the PDP recently, it had been almost an open field for Obanikoro to pick the PDP ticket, who is on a second missionary to fly the party’s flag at the polls. He was the PDP’s standard bearer in 2007 when he gave the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Babatunde Fashola a good fight.

Obanikoro

After the polls, he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana. Even from abroad he still commanded political presence in Nigeria as his son, Babajide won the  Ikoyi Obalende Local Council Development Area election in 2012. The LCDA is home to APC National  Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

After the council polls, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) returned the ACN candidate as winner but Babajide went to the tribunal, which in its final judgement  ruled that Babajide Obanikoro of the PDP won the election by 6,780 votes as against 6,248 polled by ACN.

Obanikoro’s ambassadorial sojourn in Ghana kept him out of the 2011 race. Since he returned in 2012, he has been oiling his political machine, which got a boost with his ministerial appointment last February.

Now, he will fight for the PDP ticket with Agbaje and Dr Ade Dosunmu (the 2011 candidate) among others and if wins, will square up against the APC standard bearer.

Dr Samuel Ortom –Benue

Roundly described as a party man to the core, farmer, administrator and industrialist, Dr Samuel Ioraer Ortom, became Minister (State) for Trade & Investment on July 4, 2011.

Considered to have a good chance of succeeding Governor Gariel Suswam, who he played major roles in installing, Ortom before his ministerial stint had contributed to nation building at various levels.

In the year 2007, he also served as Benue PDP  director of organization  and Suswam/Lawani Campaign Organization, a gubernatorial electioneering effort that brought the present government to office in Benue State.

His foray into governance started in 1991 when he was elected as one of the youngest ever local government chairmen in Nigeria at just 30. He served Guma LGA of Benue State as Executive Chairman from 1991- 1993.

To realize his ambition, he has to get the support of Governor Suswam and top leaders of the PDP before facing the electorate proper at the polls.

Dairus Ishiaku –Taraba

Mr. Dairus Ishiaku who is leaving as minister of state (power) is believed to be running as the candidate of the cabal around Governor Danbaba Suntai.

His chances are said to be brightened by the decision of Senator Emmanuel Bwacha to drop out of the contest reportedly in his favour.

Isiaku

Ishiaku’s main contender is presently the acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar. Ishiaku’s chances have been boosted by the failure of the acting governor to get control of the PDP structure, which is in the hands of the cabal.

A court action by the acting governor to wrest control of the PDP executive was declined by the courts putting the cabal in good stead to fight him.

Nyesom Wike –Rivers

The resignation of Nyesom Wike did not come as a surprise, since he never hid his desire to succeed the incumbent governor.

In fact, the manner he has been going about his ambition,  is generally seen to be largely responsible for the political crises  that engulfed the state in the past.

Though other aspirants have indicated interest for the plum job, Wike is indisputably the most visible following the

Minister of State for Eduction, Barrister Esenwo Nyesom Wike

controversies that has so far dogged his moves.

To boost his chances, the minister had formed the Grassroot Democratic Initiative, GDI which was initially believed to be an all party structure to boost the activities of the party.

However, many other aspirants subsequently backed away from the GDI when they expressed fear that the GDI was framed to achieve the gubernatorial aspirations of the minister.

Wike is, however, challenged by the politics of zoning in Rivers State given the fact that the outgoing governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi is Ikwere, the same ethnic group where Wike belongs.