Ministerial Nominees: Madueke, Yayale Face Stiff Opposition

All sorts of permutations plus the dispute between Aso Rock and legislators over Ministerial nominees may prolong the delay in the submission of the list to the Senate.

Opposition is being mounted by some Governors and others in the political class against nominations they do not approve of.

Names picked from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been forwarded to the security agencies for screening, but some face threats of rejection by Senators.

Mostly affected by the protests are nominees from Bayelsa, Bauchi, and Akwa Ibom.

A federal lawmaker from Bayelsa, who did not want to be named, said the insistence by Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, that Suziana Alison Madueke remains the nominee from the state is not acceptable to many.

The nomination, he argued, has created the impression that "just because Jonathan is now the Vice President, he can no longer consult his elected colleagues and political leaders before taking such a vital decision".

Suziana, the first Nigerian female director of Shell, is the wife of former Chief of Naval Staff, Alison Madueke.

The protesters from Bayelsa say although she is an indigene of the state, she would owe allegiance to her husband’s state.

One argued: "Her father is from Bayelsa, no doubt; her mother is from Delta, and she is married to an Igbo man. So, she is completely distanced from her home state politics.

"Is Jonathan saying that we do not have reasonable and qualified indigenes of Bayelsa who can be appointed to that position? I am not opposed to the VP, but on this alone, I will not agree".

He said he has been seeking an opportunity to make the minds of federal legislators and home-based politicians known to Jonathan before agreement to accept or oppose the confirmation of Madueke.

Another nomination up against tough jibes is that of federal Head of Civil Service, Ahmed Yayale, who is from Bauchi.

A former Senator from the state confirmed that his nomination has generated division among the political elite in the state.

"We cannot feign ignorance of the fact that most of the politicians are aggrieved, because in the last election, some of us either contested and lost or were told by the party to stand down for some people.

"At the end, we still stood up to support the party to victory. What is our gain if a serving civil servant, who has reached the height of his career, has to be converted to a politician overnight as if there are no other qualified persons from the state?", one of them wondered.

Although he could not say who made the nomination, he stressed that President Umaru Yar’Adua could be embarrassed as "we have already mobilised our Senators to oppose it when it goes to the Senate" where a Ministerial nominee has to be endorsed by at least two of the three Senators from his or her state.

Without such an endorsement, the nominee will be rejected since Senators are regarded as the direct representatives of the people whose views tally with those of their constituencies.

Also, the nomination of John Akpanudoedehe from Akwa Ibom may not be an easy sail unless the gathering tempest against him is calmed before the screening in the Upper House.

His nomination is seen by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as compensation for the loyalty he received from him when he was a Senator.

Akpanudoedehe was the only Senator and prominent politician from the state who did not abandon Obasanjo when the Supreme Court ruled against the payment of oil revenue derived from onshore-offshore operations to the states involved.

One grouse against him is that he has had his own share of political exposure and largesse as a Senator at a relatively young age.

By last weekend, most of the politicians, especially from the minorities in Oron and Ikot Abasi whose candidates were dropped from the list, were mounting pressure on Senators from Akwa Ibom not to endorse him.

Three names were submitted from the state for one Ministerial slot. They included Akpanudoedehe, a former Governorship aspirant, Nsima Ekere, and another nominee from Oron.

Ekere was the running-mate to Godswill Akpabio, the state governor, after the primaries, but he was prevailed upon to step-down when it was obvious that the then state governor, Obong Victor Attah, was not happy with what was going on. Fearing that Attah may throw in spanners into the works, the party decided that since it has passed the stage of allowing Attah the liberty of contributing to who succeeds him, he should at least be allowed the privilege of picking the running-mate. Thus Ekere was prevailed upon to relinguish his position for Ekpotu, a supposed Attah nominee, with a promise that he would be compensated with a federal appointment. Ekere’s supporters are insisting that the party should live up to its promise.

But supporters of Akpanudoedehe are also insisting that Eket and Annang produced a Minister each in the last dispensation while Oron produced the Assembly Speaker and one Ambassador.

They added that Ekere was dropped because his kinsman is the Deputy Governor while the man from Oron could not be favoured since the PDP Chairman is also from there. Akpanudoedehe was the leader of the Akpabio campaign team in the state and his nomination is seen as compensation for his effort.

Perhaps, at present, the only non-controversial nominee is John Odey, PDP National Publicity Secretary from Cross River State.

http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=44&a=29681

Those who rejected the nominees should give more valid reasons to justify their rejection. The excuse they gave for rejecting Diezani Madueke is not valid. So what, if she is married to an Igbo man? Has she renounced her Bayelsan heritage or roots, because of that?

I think they are angry that Vice-President Jonathan did not consult other prominent Bayelsans, before nominating her for ministerial appointment. Guess everyone has their own preference.

Afterall, Andy Uba was rejected by many voters in his state, before the elections. How he managed to win, is still a mystery. Thank God for the Supreme Court, who ensured that justice was done at last.