Telegraph reports that Tinubu’s candidate, Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Wale Edun, whom he recommended as Minister of Finance, has been dropped, despite having undergone screening by the Department of State Services.
Edun, will now be replaced by former Lagos State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Yemi Cardoso, as Lagos’ representative in the cabinet.
The report states that Edun, lost his slot when Lagos indigenes, including traditional rulers and some of his colleagues that served in the administration of Tinubu, opposed his candidacy and suggested that he becomes Ogun State nominee, a move that was rejected by Obasanjo and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.
Obasanjo, was said to have called Tinubu and advised him against trying to make Edun, the nominee for Ogun state, owing to the fact that Bode Mustapha, had already been chosen for the slot.
Telegraph’s source said that after Obasanjo submitted his ministerial list to Buhari on September 8- Tinubu and former Interim National Chairman of APC, Bisi Akande, visited the President 24 hours later.
The pair were said to have told Buhari that South-West APC leaders would not condone Obasanjo being allowed to pick ministers, owing to the fact that he doesn’t belong to the party.
“Tinubu and Akande’s visit to President Buhari on September 9 was an impromptu meeting. An influential official in the presidency told them of Obasanjo’s surreptitious moves to corner the ministerial nominees from the South-West. This is why the two leaders visited.”
“It was a moral issue. Obasanjo is not a member of the APC and cannot appropriate the positions of the zone to himself. The South-West leaders have been meeting for two months on the ministerial nominee, only for Obasanjo to sit in Ota and draw up a ministerial list. That is why the leaders kicked against the idea.
“That will be killing the party in the South-West. He can’t be an alternate APC. Obasanjo should be respected as a leader, but he can’t hijack what belongs to the region.
“On Obasanjo’s ministerial list, former Governor Oyinlola featured just as his name featured from the list submitted from the state.”
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