Obanikoro Returns As
Minister
By Chukwudi Ohiri
In what appears to be a promise promptly kept, President
Goodluck Jonathan has forwarded the names of seven new ministers to the Senate
for confirmation including a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu
Obanikoro and six other.
Also nominated were Kenneth Kobani, a former
National Treasurer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN], who
recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, and a former Senator,
Patricia Akwashiki.
Mr. Obanikoro, one of the aspirants who contested
for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos
State almost caused a major crisis in the party when he rejected the outcome of
the primaries where Jimi Agbaje was declared the winner. Obanikoro popularly
called Koro by his teeming supporters had resigned his ministerial position on
October 15 to vie for the party’s ticket in Lagos for the 2015 election.
In the after math, Koro lost to Jimi Agbaje who
was believed to be the preferred candidate of the party leadership in a
somewhat controversial manner leading to some face-offs and rancor within the
party. Obanikoro not only rejected the results of the primaries, but went ahead
to file a legal suit against the declaration of Mr. Agbaje as winner, a situation
that elated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as it would have
potentially balkanized the opposition PDP ahead of the polls if not quickly
checked.
Part of the deal that assuaged the anger of
Obanikoro was that President Goodluck Jonathan assured him that he would be reappoint
into the cabinet if he sheathed his sword over the scuffle. The settlement
informed Koro’s decision to discontinue his legal challenge of the PDP
governorship primary result for Lagos State promising to join forces with
Agbaje and the PDP to capture Lagos come February 28.
There is every likelihood that the National
assembly may ratify his nomination although there are fears that some of his
perceived excesses during his brief stint in office as Minister of states,
Defence may pose some albeit, temporary challenge to his easy passage. Again,
if the nominations are not ratified before the first set of elections on
February 14, 2014, his roles and activities during and after the elections will
most likely be a factor in screening and ratifying his nomination.
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