former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, are among the ministerial nominees that have been screened by the Department of State Service, The PUNCH learnt authoritatively on Sunday.
Those already said to have been screened as nominees for President Muhammadu
Buhari’s cabinet also include a former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and
a Lagos-lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).
Also on the list are a former Chief of Army, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); an
ex-chief executive of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru; a former
finance commissioner in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun; and a former National Legal
Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The PUNCH learnt that the screening of the nominees had been concluded on Friday.
Buhari had last week at a press briefing in Accra, Ghana, that he would name members
of his cabinet this month.
Our correspondents gathered that some of the nominees had appeared before the DSS.
None of the names on the list however confirmed that they had been screened when
our correspondents contacted them on Sunday.
It was gathered that they had been instructed not to leak details of their screening to
the media.
‘‘What was done was not physical screening but mainly background checking,” one of
the already-screened nominees told one of our correspondents late on Sunday.
Multiple sources within the All Progressives Congress told our correspondent on Sunday
that Falana was favoured by a camp in the party to emerge as the Minister of Justice
and Attorney-General of the Federation.
A top APC chieftain said the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the National
Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had convinced Buhari to appoint Falana.
Tinubu and Osinbajo were said to have told Buhari that appointing Falana, who he jailed
over 30 years ago, would boost his image as a ‘converted democrat.’
It was, however, learnt that Malami was being favoured by the President.
A source within the party added power blocs within Falana’s home state, Ekiti, might
not be disposed to the choice of the human rights lawyer because he is not a member
of the APC.
The APC has three former governors in Ekiti State: Niyi Adebayo, Segun Oni and Kayode
Fayemi.
An APC top official said, “Falana has already been screened by the DSS. However,
Buhari is closer to Malami who is from the North.”
Sources within the party also told our correspondent that Utomi, a renowned economist
and former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, had been
screened by the DSS and the police.
Utomi, who is now a member of the APC, was one of biggest critics of former
President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
It was learnt that Edun, who served under former Tinubu as Lagos State governor, had
also been screened by security agencies.
It was learnt that Edun was being considered to emerge as the Minister of Finance
while Utomi for Minister of Economic Planning.
Sources within the party told our correspondent that Tinubu convinced Buhari to appoint
Edun based on his antecedents.
He said the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Babatunde Fowler, Edun
and Utomi might be given the task of reviving the economy.
A source said, “Oil prices are dwindling and Nigeria will need to diversify but in the short
term, increasing the nation’s Internally Generated Revenue is the key. Tinubu explained
to Buhari that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo withheld Lagos State
allocations, Edun and Fowler helped to ensure that the state’s IGR increased
exponentially.’’
It was learnt that Odimegwu, was nominated by the President.
Odimegwu fell out with former President Goodluck Jonathan when he openly criticised
the Federal Government. He had resigned and then travelled to the United States.
Two weeks to the March 28 presidential election, however, Odimegwu openly supported
Buhari and called him ‘the best man for the job.’
Odimegwu is also close to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oyinlola, a one-time secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, defected to the APC
shortly before the Osun State governorship election and he is a close associate of
Obasanjo.
Repeated calls made to the telephones of Odimegwu and Utomi were not responded
to.
One of the nominees who picked his call, simply said, “I don’t know if screening has
been done or completed.”
Another nominee, who pleaded anonymity, said, “Although I have met the director-
general of the DSS twice, I don’t think such visits could be regarded as screening.
“I understand the service has done its research on ministerial nominees. For now,
nobody is sure of anything until the names are announced.”
In his reaction, Oyinlola said he had not been screened as a ministerial nominee.
He said, ‘‘To the best of my knowledge, I have not been called. May be they called
others, not me.”
The former governor, however, said he was one of the nine persons, whose names
were submitted to Governor Rauf Aregbesola – as a ministerial nominee – having been
picked by his senatorial district.
The PUNCH learnt that the report of the DSS screening would be sent to the President
this week.
A top DSS operative, who confided in The PUNCH, said the agency had conducted
extensive checks on the nominees, including their financial transactions and their
records with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police.
The Special Adviser (Media) to the President, Femi Adesina, had on Wednesday told
The PUNCH that security screening “is naturally a behind-the-scenes matter.”
The DSS could not be reached for comment on Sunday as it had yet to appoint a
spokesperson.
The PUNCH had on Thursday exclusively reported that the DSS had commenced the
screening of ministerial nominees sent to it by the President.
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