ministers fear removal before Jonathan's departure
Anxiety on Tuesday gripped ministers and other top government officials in Abuja ahead of the last meeting of the Federal Executive Council under the Goodluck Jonathan administration scheduled to hold on Wednesday (today).
The apprehension was triggered by a report (not by The PUNCH)
credited to the Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki, that
President Goodluck Jonathan would dissolve his cabinet during a
“valedictory session” of the FEC on Wednesday(today).
But Akwashiki on Tuesady refuted the report and urged the general public to disregard it as “false and malicious.”
The minister, in a statement by her
Press Secretary, Joseph Mutah, said at no time did she speak to
journalists on the dissolution of the FEC by the President.
Akwashiki said she was surprised that a
news report, which initially quoted an unnamed minister from the South-
West, ended up crediting her as having made the “tendentious comment.”
The
FEC is the highest decision-making body of the Federal Government and
it consists of the President, the Vice President, all ministers, the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the National Security
Adviser, the Head of Service of the Federation and some top presidential
aides.
The council members meet every Wednesday to take decisions on national issues.
Since the tenure of the current
administration expires on May 29, the council’s valedictory session has
been fixed for Wednesday (today).
A minister, who spoke with our
correspondent on the report that Jonathan might disband the FEC during
its session on Wednesday( today) said he was not aware that such would
take place.
He said that he was aware that some of
his colleagues had been making contacts in order to confirm if such
would happen during the meeting.
The minister said, “I am not aware that
the council will be dissolved. Some of my colleagues had actually called
me to find out. Since I don’t have any information on it, I am also
still reaching out to know the true situation.
“The truth is however even if it happens, it won’t meet any of us unawares.”
Another council member, who is not a
minister, however, said although the President would expectedly thank
members during the meeting, he might not dissolve the cabinet since he
still has over a week to be in the saddle
He said, “The news is everywhere that
Mr. President may dissolve the cabinet on Wednesday (today). I have been
trying to confirm this but I have not been able to do so. Let us wait
and see what happens.
“But dissolving the cabinet during
Wednesday meeting will mean that the President will be running the
affairs of the country alone as a sole administrator till May 29.
“I don’t see him doing that now. That can be done next week, very close to the handover date.
“You should also note that many of the
ministers are members of either the government’s Transition Committee or
the Inauguration Committee.
“The question is if the council is
dissolved now, will they continue serving on the committees in their
personal capacities or will they cease to be members? Let us wait and
see how it plays out.”
Preparatory to the Wednesday (today) meeting, some council members met separately with Jonathan on Monday.
The meetings were held apparently
because the President was scheduled to attend the 47th Ordinary Session
of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government holding in
Accra, Ghana on Tuesday.
Among those who consulted with Jonathan
on Monday evening were the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani
Alison-Madueke; Minister of State, Finance, Bashir Yuguda;
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Emeka Eze; and the
Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Nwanze Okidegbe.
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