Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has hinted that President Muhammadu Buhari would not delay in forming a new cabinet; after he is sworn in for a second term in May.
Adesina also hinted that the president would dissolve his cabinet before the May 29th inauguration ceremony.
Speaking on Arise Television, yesterday, Adesina reiterated Nigerians that, unlike 2015, Buhari would not delay in choosing his cabinet members.
Asked if the president would reshuffle his cabinet before May 29, Adesina replied: “One thing about governance is that the first mandate was for four years. That mandate lapses on May 29, and, shortly before May 29, the president is likely going to officially dissolve his government. That is the way it is usually done.
“He says ‘thank you’ to everybody who he has called to work with him and, then, he dissolves that government officially.
“Then, when he is inaugurated for a second time, he now reconstitutes a government; he appoints his personal aides, he forms his cabinet, he appoints other people to fill other positions.”
Buhari was declared winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday.
President Buhari, polled 15,191,847 to defeat the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who got 11,262,978 votes.
There had been speculations that the president would reshuffle his cabinet which took six months to unveil.
It took him one year to nominate Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni to replace late James Enojo Ocholi as minister of state for Labour.
In 2016, Ocholi died in a ghastly motor accident along Kaduna–Abuja Road, alongside his wife, Blessing, and one of his sons, including his driver.
Altogether, six ministers have left his cabinet to take up appointments, but, the president has only replaced them with ministers in the cabinet.
Those who have left are Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Hajiya Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, who successfully stood election for a seat in the House of Representatives in her home state of Yobe.
The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jubril, resigned to become the 13th Emir of Nassarawa.
Former Environment minister, Hajiya Amina Mohammed, resigned on February 24, 2017, following her appointment as United Nations Deputy Secretary General.
Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also resigned his appointment as minister of Mines and Steel on May 30, 2018 to pursue his political ambition.
Mrs. Kemi Adeosun resigned on September 14 of the same year, as minister of Finance, following a scandal that trailed her forged National Youth Service Commission (NYSC) Exemption Certificate.
On her part, Senator Aisha Alhassan resigned as minister of Women Affairs and Social Development. She hinged her resignation on her disqualification in the screening for the 2019 Taraba State governorship contest, by the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee.