Oyo State Ministerial Slot
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a substantive minister for the state in the newly-constituted cabinet, even as he assured the Minister of Communication, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, of the support of the people of the state.
Former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode Mustapha, was the candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. However, Buhari agreed to cede the Osun ministerial slot to Obasanjo’s candidate, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former governor of the state. Besides the reasons adduced by the president for. The chairmen submitted that Oyo State, with the best results in all ramifications in the last general election, deserved the additional regional ministerial slot for the South West for fairness and equity and to engender better performance by the state and all other states in the region.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to his office by the minister, an indigene of the state, the governor recalled that the state had for several years been having junior ministers.
Ajimobi said, “We are indeed very grateful to Mr. President for giving us (Oyo State) the portfolio of a substantial minister after several years that we had been having junior ministers.
“Now that we have a substantive minister in a strategic ministry, it is our belief that our state will benefit immensely from it. I pledge to give you all necessary support as a worthy ambassador of Oyo State.
Governor Ajimobi stressed that the minister should not be seen as representing Oke-Ogun zone of the state, where he hails from, in the federal cabinet but all other zones that made up the entire state.
The governor said he was impressed by the courage and carriage exhibited by the minister during his screening by the Senate, stressing that he was able to respond to the various questions raised by the senators to the best of his ability.
Besides, he said that he was equally happy with the disposition espoused by Shittu since his appointment, saying that this had put paid to the antics of the people bent on playing politics with his appointment to cause disaffection between them.
Speaking earlier, Shittu expressed happiness that he was coming home as the representative of the state in the Federal Executive Council.
The minister thanked the governor for his support, disclosing that he had had a longstanding relationship with the governor that predated his current status as the number one citizen of the state.
Shittu said, “I am not unaware that Oyo State needs effective representation at the federal level. I want to assure you that I will serve as your eyes and ears. Whatever this state deserves from the Federal Government, we will get it.
“I promise not to let you down. I promise not let Oyo State down. I promise to always get in touch with you for advice. I will be a good ambassador of this state.”
The minister also said that he would do everything possible to reposition the ministry and make it the nation’s cash cow.
Abiola Ajimobi, the outgoing Governor of Oyo State, is set for a head-to-head battle with Joseph Tegbe, governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, and Adebayo Adelabu, governorship candidate of the party, to become Minister when President Muhammadu Buhari reconstitutes his cabinet at the start of his second term.
The three-way battle for a ministerial slot is a direct consequence of the party’s woeful outing in the general election in Oyo State.
Before he was pressurised into stepping down for Adelabu right at the convention ground for the Oyo APC governorship primary in September 2018, Tegbe was promised ministerial appointment. This was further confirmed last week when 11 prominent Oyo politicians under the name Otunba Jimi Tegbe (OJT) Vanguard openly attacked Adelabu for his criticism of Tegbe after losing the governorship election.
Oyo State Ministerial Slot Machine
The OJT Vanguard had said they were “convinced that the aim of Adelabu’s recent outburst is simply to subtly sabotage the proposed assigned role of Honourable Minister to be given and reiterated several times to our principal and party faithful who were so aggrieved that the gubernatorial ticket was denied our principal”.
They had also said the ministerial offer was “well-announced after Joseph Tegbe heeded to the plea to step down for the party consensus in the interest of peace and unity”.
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“Adelabu Bayo needs to acknowledge that you cannot eat your cake and have it,” they added. “Tegbe is the Minister and Ajimobi has said it and the heavens have sanctioned it. President Muhammadu Buhari shall approve it this time; remember he was nominated in 2015 when Adelabu was nowhere in APC.”
In the last few days, however, Ajimobi, who hitherto endorsed Tegbe for ministerial appointment, thinking he would win his own senatorial election, has now been showing interest.
Adelabu, who was also expecting to be elected Governor of the state and was therefore supportive of the ministerial slot for Tegbe, is now expecting the party to compensate him with a ministerial position that he can build on to recontest in 2023.
“Ajimobi feels that since he contested but didn’t win, he deserves to be Minister to maintain his political relevance,” a source familiar with unfolding events told SaharaReporters on Sunday.
“When Tegbe was told to step down for Adelabu, he was promised a ministerial position, under the assumption that Ajimobi and Adelabu were going to win elections. The Governor was doing Tegbe’s bidding, thinking he and Adelabu would win and then back Tegbe for Minister.
“Now, Adelabu, after losing the election, believes he has to be compensated. He also wants a ministerial appointment to keep himself relevant in politics ahead of a second shot at Oyo governorship in 2023. At this point, all three are against one another.”
Adebayo Shittu, who is currently Minister of Communication, and a former Oyo APC governorship aspirant, is not left out of the drama.
SaharaReporters understands that Ajimobi, having been Governor, is the leading candidate to get the slot.
However, something that could count against him is that he is currently out of favour with Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the party, who believes, like many others, that Ajimobi’s unpopularity with the people is the single biggest reason for APC’s loss at the polls.
The Oyo APC is scheduled to hold a meeting today to x-ray why a party that won nine house of representatives and two senatorial slots ended up losing 28 of 33 local governments two weeks later.
