President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday forwarded the name of former Minister of State, Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to the Senate for consideration and confirmation as Minister of Defence.
Obanikoro resigned from the federal cabinet on October 15, 2014 to contest the Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election but lost to Jimi Agbaje. After his defeat, the former Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana accused the party of rigging the exercise in favour of Agbaje.
It took the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, who sent Vice President Namadi Sambo, to Lagos for a reconciliation meeting in December for peace to reign in Lagos PDP.
The major carrot dangled before Obanikoro was that he would return to the Ministry of Defence, not as a junior minister which he was the last time before his resignation, but as the senior minister.
His actions and utterances in recent times showed that he might get the job after all.
And there was indeed a collective shout of disapproval from All Progressives Congress (APC) senators when Obanikoro’s name was mentioned at plenary on Tuesday
Also nominated for ministerial positions are National Vice Chairman of the PDP, South East, Col. Augustine Okwudiri Akobundu, and Nicholas Akise Ada.
Also nominated for confirmations are Senator Patricia Akwashiki, Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo, Mrs Hauwa’u Lawan, Mr. Kenneth Kobani and Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya.
The nominations followed the vacancy created by the resignation of former ministers in the Jonathan’s administration on October 15 last year to contest elections in their various states.
Senator Akwashiki is to replace the slot for Nasarawa State after the resignation of the former Minister of Information and Orientation, Mr. Labaran Maku who is now the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate for Nasarawa, while Prof. Ada replaces former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom who is also the governorship candidate for the opposition APC in Benue State.
Col. Augustine Akobundu from Abia State is replacing the vacant position created by the exit of Chief Emeka Wogu, former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Engr, Fidelis Nwankwo is taking over the Ebonyi ministerial position vacated by the former Minister of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu who contested the governorship primaries, Mrs. Lawan from Jigawa State took over from former Minister for Education, Prof. Ruquayyat u Rufai Ahmed.
Obanikoro was the only nominee that resigned that was re-nominated, while Mr. Kobani occupies the Rivers State slot vacated by the former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike who is now the PDP governorship candidate for the state and Senator Ikenya from Taraba state is to replace Mr. Barion Ishiaka former Minister of State for Niger Delta and now the PDP governorship candidate in Taraba State.
The screening and confirmation of the eight ministerial has been slated for next week.
