…dispels rumour that president-elect is abroad for medical treatment
As we draw closer to the inauguration of Tinubu-led administration on May 29, the Special Adviser on Media to the President-elect and Director of Strategic Communication of the now-disbanded APC-PCC, Dele Alake has said that the president-elect is not under pressure to set up his cabinet members.
He emphaised that, despite the six weeks timeline to inauguration, Tinubu is not in a hurry to constitute his Federal executive council.
According to Alake, Tinubu’s travel aboard was to relax and unwind following the rigorous election and not for medical treatment as being rumoured in son quarters.
Alake said Tinubu was in a relaxed mood, working with little or no distraction in Paris and not in a rush to return home.
His words, “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 said.
Meanwhile, various feelings have continued to surround reports that the President-elect might be consider people from the opposition parties into his cabinet.
The tension became heightened when a former presidential aspirant on the APC platform, Nicolas Felix, announced on an Arise TV programme on April 4 that Tinubu would look beyond the party lines when constituting his cabinet.
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.
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 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,” he added
