Earlier today, President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the Aviation minister, Stella Oduah and two other cabinet members, Caleb Olubolade, Minister of Police Affairs and Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta.
The President allegedly sacked the trio due to various allegations of corruption lingering over their offices, whilst the Minister of Police Affairs was sacked due to political calculations ahead of the 2015 elections.
Pressure had been mounted on President Jonathan, especially over Princess Stella Oduah. A committee set up by the Presidency, as well as a House of Representatives Committee recommended President Jonathan sack the minister. However President Jonathan was silent on the issue for several months until the announcement of Oduah’s departure was made earlier today, catching everybody by surprise.
Sources close to the Presidency have said that Princess Stella Oduah’s refusal to resign on her own recognizance was instrumental to her being let go by President Jonathan. The President allegedly did not want to sack the Minister due to his close friendship with her and her efforts in helping him secure the presidency in 2011 due to her various senior positions in his campaign team.
As the 2015 elections approach, Jonathan who is known to be a shrewd political observer felt it would be best to drop the minister due to the stain her retention was leaving on his administration.
A source said, “The President was reluctant to let her go but she had to be offered up as a sacrificial lamb to the Nigerian people so that the electorate would take the President’s anti-corruption stance seriously in the build up to the 2015 elections.”
Another source further revealed that the President was always going to remove Oduah but as usual he wanted to do so on his own terms and not be seen to be being pressured by Nigerians.