By Mumini AbdulKareem
The last may not have been heard on the performance of some top members and leaders of the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the last local government election following feelers last night, that the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has concluded plans to reshuffle the cabinet.
The development, top sources in the know confided in our reporter last night, is coming on the heels of the resolve by the leadership of the party to improve the quality of governance ahead of 2019.
To this end, some of those considered to be technocrats have been scheduled to be replaced by those sources described as “core politicians” who understands the political implication and dynamics of the present situation.
It was gathered that the leadership of APC has identified and pencilled down for appointment some notable names believed to have political and administrative pedigree to improve massively upon the present narrative.
The situation has already generated strong anxiety among the files and ranks of the ruling APC and government officials as they currently ponder over those to be appointed and replaced.
Although the party recorded sweeping victories during the last council poll by defeating the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 16 chairmanship seats, some top party leaders and chieftains were however unable to deliver their polling units and wards raising concerns about their relationship with their people.
The decision of the party to embark on the reshuffling, it was gathered, was to reposition the party towards 2019 and to address most of the lapses noticed during the last local government election especially the issue of good governance and reaching out to the people.
Recall that after the poll, the Senate President and leader of the party, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki immediately convened a meeting to appraise the performance of the party with a view to finding solution.
A four-man fact finding committee which included two aides of Saraki, Toyin Sanusi and Nasir Zubair (Agenda), among others, were commissioned to aggregate the opinions of the electorate and to guide against the development in subsequent elections in the state.
Top sources who spoke on the matter with our reporter last night craved strict anonymity because of its sensitivity adding that identification and compilation of names of those considered appropriate has already begun.
It was not clear when the cabinet reshufflement will be carried out but one of our sources simply described it as “imminent”.
The present administration recently carried out a minor reshuffle where some commissioners swapped portfolios.
According to another source, the impending cabinet restructuring will cut across many sectors and will involve huge appointments.
He said, “The leadership of the party has concluded arrangements to embark on massive and strategic appointments aimed at improving the quality of governance in the state.
“It (the party leadership) believed that it is high time steps are taken to reposition and refocused the administration for better service delivery especially in the light of the last election.
“The truth is that this government is doing so much but the impact is not being felt to the satisfaction of the government and leadership of the party. So there is need to re-strategise and put in a template that can further drive its development process.“Any moment from now, the cabinet will be massively restructured, this I can confirm to you. It has been decided that there is need to inject hands believed to have the wherewithal and pedigree to properly implement government policies and who also understand the political implication of their appointments.
“Presently, there seemed to be disconnect hence people are not really feeling the impact of government despite its real efforts in a difficult financial environment.
“As we move towards 2019, the government is under pressure to deliver on its promises and connect more with the people. This it is poised to do by injecting fresh hands especially those considered core politicians to replace technocrats who are believed not to have added enough value to fortunes of the party.
“Governance is not only about figures and numbers. When these indices does not add up with the people, then there is disconnect and the leadership believe this is the right time to take these necessary steps through the right choices going forward,” the source submitted.
