By Mumini Abdulkareem
More fact emerged last night, on the real reason Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was yet to name his cabinet nearly two months after the government was sworn in, National Pilot reports.
After the appointment of Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief of Staff (CoS) and Chief Press Secretary (CPS), the Governor, against expectations of many party loyalists, stopped further appointments, a situation that has allegedly increased the agitation in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a move believed to be a plot to douse the tension the issue had reportedly generated in the APC, the party called for the submission of three names each across the 193 wards in the state to form a data base from where further appointments would be made.
But weeks after the submission of the names, the Governor is yet to announce any further appointments.
However, top party sources who spoke on the issue last night, confided in National Pilot that the delay is not unconnected with what is happening at the federal level regarding the yet to be constituted federal cabinet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
One of the sources close to the Governor said he is taking his time and studying very closely what is happening at the federal level before making further announcement on those to serve in his cabinet.
According to another source conversant with the development, the Governor is bidding his time on the issue of his cabinet not to put the administration under another round of pressure when the time comes.
“The Governor is taking his time and following keenly what is happening at the federal level with the federal cabinet.
“President Buhari is yet to announce his cabinet and with the high wire lobbying for ministerial appointment that defined the situation back home among top shots in the APC, one cannot say who will be appointed into which position and how far they have gone.
“So in order to avoid a situation where some persons that are named as appointees of the cabinet in the state are also appointed by the President, which will open another round of agitation and pressure from party members, the Governor has decided to wait for the coast to be clearer at the top before making his appointment back home”, the source added.
It was gathered that a sizeable number of party officials had expected the Governor to forward the first batch of his appointments list to the state Assembly after their resumption last Tuesday but have expressed disappointment over the present situation.
Checks by this reporter last night at the House of Assembly revealed that no list of appointment has been received from the Governor in that regard.
“I can confirm to you that as at today (Wednesday) before the close of work, nothing of such was sent by the Governor to the lawmakers. Whether they will send it tomorrow is what I cannot say. What I can say is that the lawmakers are gathering data on the suspended local government chairmen. That has been the issue that has preoccupied the legislature for now,” he added.
Efforts to get the response of the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Rafiu Ajakaye were not successful last night as he did not pick telephone call when contacted.
Response to text message sent to him on the issue was still being expected before this paper went to bed, last night.
Recall that a chieftain of the party, Prince Sunday Fagbemi informed this medium in an interview penultimate week that work is ongoing as regard the cabinet of the Governor.
“I think the Governor himself or his spokesperson should be in position to answer (where we are as regards the issue of cabinet) but I know that action is ongoing and also know that he has to work with the House of Assembly on this.
“The Federal Government whose election came earlier than our own has not yet done anything on appointment, I don’t think there should be undue agitation on the issue of cabinet. The Governor I believe must take his time to put together a team that will be able to synergise with him and push the state forward. The people should be a little bit patient”, he had said.
Meanwhile, there were online reports that some leaders of the party including member representing Ilorin East/South Federal constituency at the National Assembly, Hon Cook Olododo and other chieftains of the party in Zango ward have intensified efforts to get their loyalists into the list, a situation that the Governor is reportedly not comfortable with.
However when contacted last night over the allegation, the federal lawmaker said “I am not in Ilorin, I am not interested, I am not interested.”
