The Nigerian Senate has published President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long-awaited list of ministers, and it has shocked the country’s political establishment.
28 ministerial nominees were listed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday, and to the surprise of political watchers, several of them had previously belonged to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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Many of the nominees have a history of holding important positions in the PDP, having held those posts while the party controlled the national government, such as governorships or ministerial positions.
The PDP “old boys” on the list include:
Umahi, Dave
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Dave Umadi served as the governor of Ebonyi State under the PDP’s banner until November 2020, when he formally switched to the APC.
The governor, who joined other members of his cabinet in joining the APC, claimed that the South-East geopolitical region had been treated unfairly by the PDP.
Onyejeocha Nkeiru
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Onyejocha was originally chosen to represent the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, then-ruling party in Nigeria.
In 2018, she joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after under tremendous pressure from the party’s leaders to give up her desire for a reelection to the House.
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation was presided over by Onyejeocha.
Enoh, John
Prior to his 2017 defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Enoh served as the PDP’s representative for Cross River Central.
A. Nasir el-Rufai
Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, was a well-known PDP member during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
El-Rufai served as the FCT Minister and was a super minister under Obasanjo.
Nemesis Wike
Wike served as Rivers State’s governor most recently.
He ran for the PDP presidential nomination but lost to Atiku Abubakar, which turned him against his own party.
In the Rivers presidential election of 2023, which Bola Tinubu of the APC won, Wike was thought to have worked against his party.
In the end, Obi received 175,555 votes, while Tinubu received 231,593 votes.
The inclusion of Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party member who worked against his party during the 2023 presidential race, did not surprise many people.
However, it is yet unclear whether Wike will continue to be a PDP member while serving as a minister in the opposition party’s administration or if he will leave.
Critics claim that Wike’s actions and protest after losing the PDP presidential primary to Atiku Abubakar were motivated more by narrow personal ambitions than by the interests of the entire country.
They express doubt about the motivations behind his selection as a minister as a result, and they make assumptions that it might indicate the PDP’s influence in the nation is set to fade away.
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