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Cabinet officials

Tinubu's Ministerial Nominees: The Scramble for Power and Patronage Continues

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

President Tinubu's decision to leave out several states from the initial list of ministerial nominees has sparked a frenzy among power brokers and loyalists of top APC functionaries. In states such as Zamfara, Gombe, Adamawa, Kano, and Plateau, intense lobbying and scrambling for ministerial slots are underway, with various factions and individuals vying for power and patronage.

Key Takeaways:

  • In Zamfara, no fewer than four former governors, a senator, and other APC chieftains are at the centre of a supremacy contest for the ministerial slot, with four to five names lobbying to get the attention of the President.
  • Some party chieftains are pushing hard for former Governor Bello Matawalle to be nominated as minister due to his antecedents and support for the party.
  • Lagos State aborigines are reportedly insisting that the ministerial slot for the state must be the exclusive reserve of one of their own, as they feel marginalized in the governance structures of the state.
  • Osun State is also without a nominee in the first batch, due to the politics of the 2026 governorship election.
  • In Plateau State, internal wrangling in the state chapter of APC might have been responsible for the non-inclusion of a nominee from the state in the ministerial nominees sent to the Senate last week.
  • In Gombe, the raging impasse between the State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, and his erstwhile political godfather, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, is believed to be having a major effect on their supporters.
  • In Adamawa, a clash of interest among various blocs in the APC has impacted negatively on its structure during past elections, and is now playing out over ministerial nomination for the state.
  • In Kano, the drafting of the immediate past Governor Ibrahim Ganduje as possible replacement for Senator Abdullahi Adamu as APC national chairman has upped the ante in the lobby for a ministerial nominee to represent the state in the federal cabinet.

Statistics:

  • Four to five names are lobbying for the ministerial slot in Zamfara State.
  • Lagos State aborigines feel that 3 out of the first 3 citizens of the state are Ogun State indigenes.
  • A leader of the Lagos State natives stated that 3 out of the first 4 commissioners-nominees by governor Sanwo-Olu are not indigenes of Lagos State.
  • President Tinubu is reportedly considering yielding the state's slot to the indigenes of Lagos State.
  • The first list of ministerial nominees was released by the new administration last week.
  • The names of Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, Honourable Abdulrazaq Namdas, Honourable Bala James Ngilari, and Honourable Martins Babale were reportedly proposed for nomination from Adamawa State.
  • At least 4 power blocs are locked in the chess game for ministerial nomination in Adamawa State.

Sources:

  • Nigerian Tribune investigations
  • Former Governor Bello Matawalle's lobbying efforts for the ministerial slot in Zamfara State.
  • Lagos State aborigines' marginalization cries in Nigeria's wealthiest and most-populated state.
  • Osun State politics of the 2026 governorship election.
  • Plateau State internal wrangling in the APC chapter.
  • Gombe State governor's and Senator Danjuma Goje's raging impasse.
  • Adamawa State APC's clashes of interest.
  • Kano State lobby for a ministerial nominee to represent the state in the federal cabinet.

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