President Buhari to Sack Top Ministers and Appointees in 2017

Following allegations of corruption and gross misconduct leveled against some of President Muhammadu Buhari's top appointees, the President might be hatching plans to sack them. 

President Muhammadu Buhari

 

Some appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari would be relieved of their jobs in 2017, Daily Sun reports.

 

According to the report, a top source in the Presidency specifically said appointees indicted or tainted with allegations of graft “would be shown the door and it will be sooner than later.”

 

However, the source said the plan to relieve some of the appointees indicted in not immediate. The sack, it was learnt, may be before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

 

The top official insisted “Buhari will shock Nigerians who think he cannot act on graft allegations against some of his appointees. He is only being fair since some of them are being investigated on those allegations and reports are being awaited…But, the President will drop some next year; that’s for sure.”

 

It has also been learnt that Buhari may not re-present Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, to the Senate for confirmation, after his rejection.

 

Daily Sun gathered that his replacement is a former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), who was in charge of Operations (B) Department

 

Senate rejected Magu’s nomination on December 20, 2016, after lawmakers met in an Executive Session to consider a security report by the Department of State Services (DSS), which indicted the EFCC boss.

 

Thereafter, Senate spokesman, Abdullahi Sabi, said Magu’s rejection was based on a ‘worrisome’ security report, made available to the lawmakers by the DSS

 

Sabi said: “Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to inform the general public that based on security reports available to the lawmakers, we could not proceed and confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the executive chairman of EFCC.

“Accordingly, Senate, hereby, rejects the said nomination and has returned the said nomination to Mr. President for further action. There is no confusion here. We have said it is based on security reports.

“Please, all public officers go for security screening and we are saying based on security reports, we cannot proceed and confirm. We are rejecting it and returning it to Mr. President for further actions. That is just the statement. It is as simple as that. That is exactly what Senate has said and I do not have any other explanation more than this,” he said.

 

A status report from the DSS indicted Magu.

 

The report showed that Magu was allegedly involved in the disposal of seized assets from convicted corrupt public officials when immediate-past chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, held sway.

 

The report also questioned Magu’s integrity to lead President Buhari’s anti-corruption war. Also, the report said the EFCC, under Magu’s watch, is involved in human rights abuses.

 

However, a source hinted yesterday that a rejig was likely in order to smoothen alleged cold relationship between Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

The source said the former Lagos State governor may be given some appointments to compensate him.

 

Sources from the APC disclosed that Buhari began the moves last Friday as a way of ending the internal crisis between him and Tinubu, to prevent it from affecting him (The President) and his party in 2019 general elections.

 

Reacting to this development, however, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, told Daily Sun yesterday that he was not aware of any cabinet shake-up, “If any cabinet reshuffle is to be carried out, it will be made public.”

 

But our source said the President will reshuffle his cabinet next year which will affect Ondo, Kogi and Lagos whereby Tinubu ‘s loyalists will be appointed as the new ministers in the affected states.

 

According to the source, “It was part of the plans designed by the President to pacify Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu so that the chances of the President in winning the election in 2019 will be high.

 

Another source, who confirmed the new development said, ‘’Baba (Buhari) knows Tinubu is an asset and he cannot toy with him politically especially now that 2019 is running nearer.