The Presidency is currently under heated tension over who will make it to the second tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Some of the key posts under close watch includes the Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Finance, Petroleum Resources, Power, Works and Housing, Transportation, Education, Aviation, Budget and National Planning, Defence, Interior and Communications
Herald Nigeria learnt that, while some ministers are making efforts to remain in office, President Buhari is shutting out any attempt to corner him into making appointments.
Sources within the Aso Rock revealed that three to five ministers who have been members of the President’s first term will make it to the second term.
In an interview monitored by The Nation, a Presidency official said “No one knows the mindset of the President on how he will constitute the next Federal Executive Council (FEC). The situation is so dicey that those rated as closer to the President in the cabinet cannot authoritatively say whether or not they will be retained.
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“Despite reservations, about 60 per cent of the ministers prefer to remain if they have their way. This is why many serving ministers have been lobbying those who have the ears of the President for retention.
“One certain thing is that the new coming FEC will be a cabinet of legacies. The President has been stating it that he wants to leave sustainable legacies behind. He will go for hardworking candidates. He has agreed with his team that time is no longer on his side.
“The President will also, this time around, not condone the idea of some powerful lobbyists and leaders recommending candidates for ministerial appointments. He hardly knew some members of the outgoing FEC.
“Recently, when the President announced that he will be on a vacation in London, some lobbyists embarked on an emergency trip to Britain to await his arrival. But the President caught them unawares by delaying his trip. This is the dimension the race for cabinet slots is taking. The President is shutting out lobbyists.”