Presidency: Disregard Ministerial Portfolios in Circulation

Presidency: Disregard Ministerial Portfolios in Circulation
  • Princewill commends Buhari on cabinet

Nseobong Okon-Ekong in Lagos and Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The presidency has disowned the list of ministers-designate and portfolios currently in circulation on social media and asked Nigerians to disregard it. The list which contains the names of the 43 ministerial nominees and attached portfolios has been circulating on social media since Thursday.  

This is as a chieftain of the All Progresives Congress (APC), Prince Tonye Princewill has said the delay in releasing a ministerial list and the subsequent prompt attention to screening the nominees by the Senate when it was eventually released, rather than bringing a grind to governance, had instead demonstrated the gains of the wide consultations embarked by President Muhammadu Buhari in constituting the Federal Executive Council.

 But Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Ahmad Bashir, in a tweet, wondered how someone could concoct portfolios and begin to circulate them, noting that ministers and their portfolios will only be announced by President Muhammadu Buhari after the ministers’ inauguration.

 “So someone decided to sit down and make a list of ministers-designate and also assigned portfolios to them? The assigned list is now being circulated and is trending on WhatsApp as usual.

“Disregard any list, please. Portfolios will be announced by Mr. President after their  inauguration as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

On the cabinet, Princewill said that critics of the Buhari administration, having failed to hijack the leadership of the National Assembly and constitute a cog in the wheel of progress  (like they did in the President’s first term), “have resorted to baseless attacks on the ministerial nominees and the conscientious manner with which the Senate discharged its duties in a speedy way, which was a big disappointment to certain elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who still can’t deal with the fact this is a new day of the next level of progress for Nigeria and Nigerians.”

Princewill commended the President for giving another opportunity to some tested and trusted hands in his previous cabinet, while “bringing in fresh faces with good records-but returning a few good men and women who have proved themselves not only diligent to their work, but committed to their people.”

While he defended the reappointment of the former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who he described as his friend and brother. He also applauded, “his contributions to the party and this government, including “what we have suffered here in Rivers State, make his own nomination and his now successful screening, all the more sweet. We thank the President for standing by him. He will more than justify your confidence.”

Princewill, a businessman, filmmaker and former governorship aspirant in Rivers State, said, “While we await the assignment of portfolios, it is worthy to note that continuity in areas where we performed is the surest way to consolidation. I look forward to seeing the returnees in familiar roles, while the newcomers hit the ground running. Time is not on our side. Nigerians need results. There will be no honeymoon period.”

Recalling its bitter loss in Rivers State, Princewill enjoined members of the APC to bury all our political differences and join hands, especially in Rivers State. “If we cannot learn from our mistakes, we will be doomed to repeat them. Anywhere we find a brother or a sister, let us do our little bit to provide them support. Let’s be positive, no list is perfect, but the pursuit of perfection is itself a major motivation.”

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