Cronies of the incumbent Governor of Enugu state have apparently become beautiful brides for several PDP members lobbying for one political appointment or the other.

The government house has turned into a Mecca of some sort since after the announcement of 15 Commissioner Designates by Governor Peter Mbah.

Some members of the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic party, chieftains and unsuccessful candidates of the party as well as those that invested everything at their disposal to campaign for the party, are all equally involved in deploying both conventional and unorthodox means to market their intentions.

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Many of the PDP Stakeholders in Enugu have also stopped at nothing in using media advertorials/visibility, networking all perceived persons with links to the governor, visitations, attending social functions and spearheading favourable protests to attract the attention of the governor.

Lobbyists for political appointments are desperately visiting government house in such an unrelenting manner to ensure that their efforts pay-off as they hope for second batch of the commissioner nominees.

Accordingly, every local government area should have a Commissioner Designate representing the council.

The lobbying has really taken the front burner since after the announcement of the two appointments by Governor Mbah, not minding the general apprehension and fixation of many PDP supporters that he may likely be sacked by Court owing to the ongoing litigations instituted at the governorship Election Petitions Tribunal by Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party.

Pressure from the lobbyists has been mounting from stakeholders in the 17 Local Government council areas of the states to fill the vacant statutory commissioner slots, positions of special assistants, and various boards of the state government’s ministries, parastatals and agencies.

The lobbying has become so intense maybe because many of the lobbyists were products of campaign promises.

As Enugu PDP Stakeholders await Mbah’s second batch of the commissioner nominees, political pundits predict he may not make further appointment.

The Bayelsa State chapter of the Tinubu/Shettima Independent Campaign Council (ICC) has assured members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state that former President Goodluck Jonathan will not be allowed to nominate Bayelsa’s candidate for a ministerial slot.

The ICC said it was inconceivable for Jonathan, who is one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to nominate the state’s representative in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu, a member of the APC.

The ICC’s reaction followed the tension generated in the party by reports suggesting that Jonathan was making attempts to hijack Bayelsa’s ministerial slot.

The report rattled APC stakeholders in the state including members of the APC Elders’ Forum, who vehemently condemned the move.

The ICC in a statement signed in Yenagoa on Sunday by its Director (Administration), Chief Joseph Fafi, appealed to angry party members to calm down.

Fafi, who described President Tinubu as a thorough person and rewarder of loyalty, insisted that there was no way such injustice and unfairness would be allowed under the current President.

Fafi, a former Chairman of APC in Bayelsa, said: “At this point, everyone needs to calm down. Tinubu is a thorough person and is known to always reward loyalty.

“It is inconceivable to think that Jonathan would nominate a minister from Bayelsa State. While he is an elder statesman and we accord him that regard, but as drivers of Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Bayelsa state under the leadership of Engr Preye Aganaba, we know those who supported and those who worked against Tinubu.

“It was open and incontestable. Giving him the right to produce a minister in this government isn’t among the privileges Tinubu is ready to offer Jonathan.”

Fafi said President Tinubu understood that APC Bayelsa was preparing for a major election and would make appointments to strengthen the party and not empower any PDP mole.

He said: “For us, Bayelsans, this is not just any year. There’s some significance to the fact that this is an election year. So appointments coming in must be precise and tactical. Tinubu knows better than to give the ministerial slot to a PDP mole who would only try to truncate APC’s chances of upstaging the PDP and Governor Douye Diri.

“So while the rumours come with some flesh, because, obviously a few PDP chieftains are scurrying around nocturnally to fly certain persons, who campaigned heavily for Atiku, the rumours in reality will remain what they are: rumours.

“We are optimistic Tinubu will appoint a core, seasoned and well-qualified party person who would be a huge positive in our gubernatorial elections come November 11th. We urge our teeming supporters and entire campaign structure in the ICC, members of the APC and Bayelsans, in general, to relax for the right thing will be done, and equity will take center stage.”

President Tinubu and Former President Jonathan 

Former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections, Atiku Abubakar, has described the report of the Economist Intelligence Unit on the election in Nigeria as an embarrassment.

Atiku in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, said the report was like a merchant purchased by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to confuse Nigerians and warned the unit to respect Nigerians judiciary and its judges.

The statement said in part, “What is also obvious in the report is that it is a merchant purchased by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to confuse the country in an uphill task to defend the sham election of February 25, which only retained the ruling party in office.”

“It is disappointing that the EIU would condescend to ballot laundering for the ruling party in the most populous Black country.

“While we wish to express our intention to apply cautious restraint in responding to the EIU on this disgraceful outing, let this be considered as a stern warning to the body to respect Nigeria’s democracy and the institution of our judiciary, and that next time, they should be more circumspect before they jump on any trade by barter jaundiced reports about Nigeria.”

Atiku also accused the ruling party of going cap in hand “begging for legitimacy at all impossible places,” adding that, “a government that goes around to buy anything at sight to award legitimacy unto itself leaves much to the imagination of the people.

“We therefore consider it a breach of due process anything that is being done outside the walls of the court that seeks to make short circuited testimony about the outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal,” he added.