Buhari’s Ministers Lobbying To Join Tinubu’s Cabinet – Report

Tinubu Faces Pressure from Buhari’s Ministers to Include Them in His Government

Patrick OdeyMay 18, 2023

1 minute read

Some of the current Ministers serving under President Muhammadu Buhari are reportedly lobbying to be part of the incoming cabinet of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the 2023 presidential election by a landslide.

According to The Guardian, at least 18 Ministers are seeking to retain their portfolios or get new ones in Tinubu’s administration. They are said to be using various means, including sending emissaries to London and France where Tinubu has been staying, to persuade him to consider them for his government.

The Ministers are allegedly claiming that they have the experience and competence to ensure continuity in governance and development. They are also suspected to be behind some of the fake lists of Tinubu’s Ministers circulating on social media, to influence public opinion and test the waters.

Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria soon ahead of his inauguration on May 29. He has already stated that he will not be swayed by any extraneous factors in selecting his cabinet members. He said he will appoint competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous, and just Nigeria.

“In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone. I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous, and just Nigeria,” Tinubu said in a statement after his victory.

The 1999 Constitution empowers the President to appoint 40 Ministers. One to represent each state of the federation and one from each geopolitical zone.