Ministers In Panic Mood, As Presidency Considers El-Rufai's Memo

Buhari

There are strong indications last night that panic and uncertainty may have gripped some cabinet members, including ministers in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. It was gathered that the panic-stricken ministers were apparently scared by the recent memo written by Kaduna State Governor,
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who in a 30-page memo sent to the president last year had accused the president of surrounding himself with incompetent and inexperienced persons.

In the memo, el-Rufai, who said the President had developed a frosty relationship with the national leadership of his party-the All Progressives Congress (APC), also warned of high consequences of the President’s action on the party in 2019 general elections.

While speaking on the implication of the memo and the life span of the administration, especially with the future of some ministers, a highly dependable source, who is in the know, told this newspaper that: “Already, there is apprehension, panic and uncertainty as regards the future of these ministers since some of them are believed to have performed below standard.

“The implication also is that the fate of some of the ministers’ is uncertain and with this, there is no ruling out the fact that some of them would be shown the exit door.” Commenting further, the source added: “The President has a lot to do concerning the image of his government.” But responding to el-Rufai’s memo, the national leadership of the APC stated that it would study the memo, stressing that it was his (el- Rufai’s) legitimate views.

The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun and the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke to Saturday Telegraph, said given the number of pages and the issues raised in the memo, that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party would need some time to study it. Specifically, Odigie- Oyegun, who said the party would make its comments public after studying the memo, also stated that the views of the governor were legitimate as they concerned Nigerians. He said: “We will study it publicly and comment later publicly.

We thought it was a private memo to the President but we will look at it and if we have any suggestions to make, we will make them later. It concerns Nigerians and with legitimate views, which he has expressed. “We will see how it concerns us, the party and the nation and if there is need we will comment on it subsequently.” Also, Abdullahi said: “We are just studying it and we will respond very soon.

It is a 30-page memo, therefore, we have to study it conclusively.” Similarly, a Board of Trustees member of the APC, who preferred anonymity, said President Buhari had disappointed the party members. According to him, there was nothing in El-rufai’s memo to Buhari that had not been said to him by one party member or the other.

The BoT member expressed the opinion that Buhari only used he party and its members to climb to the position of his ambition and later turned to say they were not worthy to be trusted.

Speaking to New Telegraph on phone, the BoT said: “Everything said, has been said before.” When he wanted to be president, he trusted people and worked with them but now he doesn’t trust anybody, just for some few persons to be eating.

We are just luck that PDP has not sat up. “Look at the disgrace we are having in government with what is happening in the Senate with the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and Comptroller General of Customs and Exercise, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd).

“The President was in UK for medical treatment, only the national chairman and the NWC members did not go to see him. In an ideal party it would have been the National Chairman who was supposed to be telling people what was wrong with the President and not people telling the party.”