Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state Governor has nominated Prince Lawrence Ezeh (Prince of Mburubu) former Commissioners, Okey Ogbodo and Kingsley Ude as commissioners.

Their nomination is contained in a list sent to the House of Assembly by the Governor which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Uche Ugwu.

Also in the list which was signed by the Secretary of state government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia is a veteran broadcaster, Aka Eze Aka.

Below is the full list.

1. Professor Ndubueze Mbah
2. Mrs. Ngozi Eni
3. Prince Lawrence Eze (Prince of Mburubu)
4. Professor Sam Ugwu
5. Pharmacist Chika Ugwoke
6. Dr. Kingsley Ude
7. Professor Emmanuel I. Obi
8. Deacon Okey Ogbodo
9. Ben Ugochi Madueke
10. Barr. Lloyd I. Ekweremadu
11. Engr. Gerrald Otiji
12. Nathaniel Urama
13. Dr. Malachy Agbo
14. Mr. Aka Eze Aka
15. Ada Chukwu

Onyia in the letter said this isn’t the complete list and appealed for their speedy consideration.

“While this may not be the exhaustive list, I’m optimistic that this request will receive your usual expeditious consideration”

Veteran Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo has berated the governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah over the death of some traders during a protest.

Daily Gazette recall that three people were killed on Wednesday, when traders took to the streets to protest the sealing of their shops by the state government for not opening for business on Monday.

The protest is said to have turned violent, with at least three persons reportedly shot dead.

Video clips showed lifeless bodies of two young men and that of a lady.

Security forces were said to have been deployed to disperse the protesters. It is, however, unclear who fired the shots.

Speaking on the development, Okonkwo berated the state governor for lacking wisdom in dealing with the situation.

He lamented that Mbah, after blaming his people for sitting at home decided to kill them when they came out to protest.

Speaking via Twitter, Okonkwo wrote, “Always terrible for a man to have zeal without wisdom. The overzealous Peter Mbah blamed his people for sitting at home for fear of being killed and the best solution he could offer was to kill the people who decided to come out. So in Enugu, if you sit at home, “okwu”, if you come out, “okwunuka”. This is the result of incompetence and dishonesty.”

The long-awaited ministerial list was on Thursday sent by President Bola Tinubu to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

However, the list, which came barely 24 hours before the constitutionally provided deadline contains nominees from only 25 states, excluding 11 others, among them the president’s home state, Lagos and also Kano. Others excluded from the list are Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kebbi, Plateau, Osun, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Those that made the list were majorly members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), some technocrats like Professor Ali Pate (an academic and health expert); Wale Edun (an economist); and Waheed Adelabu (a banker); as well as Nyesom Wike (leader of the G-5 governors that rebelled against PDP).

Three states – Bauchi, Katsina and Cross River have two nominees. The Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila told journalists last night that there is the likelihood of creating additional ministries in line with the vision of Tinubu.

Tinubu who was inaugurated on May 29 had till today (Friday, July 28), to submit the list to the Senate in line with section 42(a) of the constitution, which states that “The nomination of any person to the office of a minister for confirmation by the Senate shall be done within sixty days after the date the president has taken the oath of office”.

The delay by the president to unveil his cabinet had heightened expectations from Nigerians, who were keenly waiting for the list of ministers that would assist the president to deliver his Renewed Hope Agenda.

High-wire politics, technocracy, party politics and compensation were among the key factors considered by the president in coming up with the list.

Those who made it to the released list included four former governors: David Umahi (Ebonyi); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa), and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna).

Other nominees are: Abubakar Momoh (Edo State); Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi); Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina); Hannatu Musawa (Katsina); Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Betta Edu (Cross River); Doris Uzoka (Imo); Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Nkiru Onyejiocha (Abia), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ( Ondo), Stella Okotete (Delta), Uju Ohaneye (Anambra), Bello Mohammed Goronyo (Sokoto), Alake (Ekiti), Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara), Mohammed Idris (Niger), Edun (Ogun), Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Nasarawa), Pate (Bauchi), Joseph Utsev (Benue), Abubakar Kyari (Borno), John Enoh (Cross River), and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).

Why Tinubu omitted Kano, Lagos, others

The omission of Kano State in the 28-man list of ministerial nominees submitted to the National Assembly on Thursday by the president may not be unconnected to the uncertainty surrounding the former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who it was gathered is the president’s favourite candidate from the North-West state.

It was also gathered that the post-election romance between the president and presidential candidate of NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and the resignation of the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, which now creates a vacuum, are factors believed to be responsible for the non-inclusion of Kano in the released ministerial list.

Days after Adamu resigned, it was gathered that the president was said to have tipped Ganduje to succeed him, which many believe might be the reason for his absence in the ministerial list forwarded to the National Assembly.

A chieftain of the party in Kano had last week said that they had been informed that the former governor did not make the ministerial list.

He said what they were told was that Ganduje would be given the opportunity to fill in the vacant position of the ruling party’s chairmanship.

“For us, this is even better news because as the party chairman, Baba (Ganduje) will be directly involved with not just the party but also maintain his cordial relationship with the president,” he said.

The permutations among party leaders in the state had however been zeroed on the fears that the recent overtures from the president to Kwankwaso, a former governor of the state, whose party now controls the state, might affect the slot(s) to be given to the state, with several of them insisting that this would negatively affect the party and would aggravate the discord in the state with the superiority battle that might follow. A source said beyond the ministerial position, Tinubu was also considering electoral value ahead of 2027.

“There is also the issue of the election petition tribunal. Tinubu wants strong personalities in the states, not just Kano, so that if there would be a rerun, they would deliver votes for him.”

The vice chairman of the APC in the state, Shehu Maigari also said that the state has strong personalities that contributed immensely to the emergence of Tinubu as president.

“We have people like Ahmed Tijjani Gwarzo, a former deputy governor of the state who has been with Asiwaju since their days in ACN and who I can boldly say apart from our leader (Ganduje), no one else contributed more to the success than him. We also have Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, a former Secretary to the State Government, and also Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Minister of Interior. These are just a few among qualified persons that should be considered,” he said.

Working to harmonise interests in Lagos

In Lagos, political struggles and the need to harmonise interests prevented it from being represented in the 28-member ministerial list even though Lagos-based politicians were well-represented.

Both Dele Alake and Wale Edun have their political base in Lagos and are known foot soldiers of Tinubu, who served in his cabinet when he was the governor of the state.

However, there are rumours that Tinubu, who has maintained a stronghold of the state since he became governor in 1999, is considering his former Chief of Staff, Babatunde Fashola; Lagos East Senator, Tokunbo Abiru and former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode as potential nominees from the state. The National Youth leader of the party, Dayo Israel is also said to be eyeing a ministerial slot.

Similarly, it was learnt that Tinubu is yet to settle for anybody in Bayelsa, owing to the struggle in the state. Political gladiators in the state are said to be scheming for the exalted position.

While Cross River had two nominees- APC national woman leader, Dr. Betty Edu, and Senator John Owan-Eno, the omission of the former governor, Ben Ayade is said to be unsettling politicians in the state.

In Yobe, our correspondent gathered the names of former Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Bashir Sheriff Machina are being mentioned.

While Lawan had lost out to Tinubu during the primary election of the APC, he also had a legal battle with Machina over the Yobe North senatorial seat ticket.

Elsewhere, officials in Kebbi State said they were certain the best would be chosen as minister to represent them.

The Special Adviser to Governor Nasiru Idris on Political Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Sani Giant said Kebbi had contributed immensely to the success of Mr. President in the presidential election.

“He will surely appoint a minister from Kebbi State like he has done in other states but is yet to exhaust his list”, he said.

On whether the face-off between Senator Adamu Aliero and former governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu might be responsible for why there is no ministerial nominee yet from Kebbi, Alhaji Giant said Aliero has no power to stop or influence the president on the choice of who is to be appointed as minister in Kebbi State. Before now, two former governors of the state, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Sa’idu Nasamu Dakingari were being touted for the ministerial position in the state.

It was believed that Bagudu by virtue of his position as former APC Governors Forum and being the chairman of the convention where Tinubu emerged the APC presidential flag bearer has a better chance without prejudice to Dakingari who was the director general for the governorship campaign in the state.

Unresolved permutations resulted in a delay in announcing a ministerial nominee from Gombe State by President Tinubu.

A chieftain of the APC in the state, who craves anonymity, said President Tinubu had earlier settled for his associate, a Kaduna-based businessman, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi.

According to him, Abdullahi, popularly known as ‘Umaru Dan Adda,’ is a long-time associate of the president and participated in the 2023 presidential campaign that brought Tinubu to power.

He was a one-time staff of the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) and served as board member for several parastatals after his retirement.

However, another contender for the ministerial seat, Abubakar Inuwa Kari, the immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Inuwa Yahaya and ally to President Tinubu, also pushed harder for the seat.

He was one of the returning officers of Tinubu during the APC’s Presidential election. He was not reappointed as chief of staff by Governor Yahaya in anticipation of his likely nomination as a ministerial nominee.

Also, a heavy-weight politician, Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna was contending to get the ministerial slot for Gombe to represent the state at the Federal Executive Council. Gwamna was a gubernatorial aspirant under the PDP, but returned to APC, after he lost the party’s ticket and contributed immensely towards the victory of the party. According to the source, the failure to reconcile and pick one from the three contenders made it impossible for a ministerial nominee from the state to be in the first batch unveiled by Senate President Godswill Akpabio yesterday.

In Plateau, pundits have expressed surprise that immediate past governor, Simon Lalong, was not named among the list. They were equally surprised that Plateau was excluded from the first list even though Lalong served as Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Director General.

An umbrella body of civic society organisations in Enugu, the Enugu Network of Civil Society Organisations (ENSNet), has slammed Governor Peter Mbah-led government over the killing of protesters following the sealing of their businesses because they didn’t trade on Monday in alleged observance of the sit-at-home order.

They were reports that security agencies deployed by the state government to Ogbete Main Market killed two traders and injured several others when traders took to the streets to protest the sealing of their shops by the government for not opening for business on Monday.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in September 2021 called for a sit-at-home protest in the South East Region every Monday to force the Nigerian government to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in custody since June 2021.

The group later cancelled the order, saying it would affect businesses in the region.

However, a self-proclaimed disciple of Kanu based in Finland, Simon Ekpa, has insisted that the sit-at-home protest would continue to hold.

Meanwhile, residents of the South East including Enugu State have been observing the sit-at-home on Mondays, largely out of fear of being attacked by hoodlums who have been implementing the sit-at-home directive.

But on July 5, 2023, Governor Mbah declared a ban on sit-at-home, insisting that the protest is ruining the economy of the state.

He subsequently warned that any business, market, or school that fail to open on Mondays would be shut indefinitely.

True to his threats on Monday, Mbah began to seal businesses and banks he accused of observing sit-at-home. In the end, he sealed over 106 shops and business centers and vowed that the sealed shops would remain closed for one week before his government could consider whether to unseal or auction the shops off if certain conditions were not met.

Reacting in a statement issued on Thursday, titled: “Condemnation of the use of force against protesting traders in Enugu State,” ENSNet called on Governor Mbah to immediately open all shops sealed, describing the attack on the traders as simply a show of raw power that lacks constitutional backing.

Signed by Comrades Osmond Ugwu and Ugonna Ozor, its President and Secretary respectively, the Network called on Governor Mbah to locate the families of those gruesomely killed during the protest by security agents and pay them adequate compensation, while those that sustained injuries should be treated and paid necessary compensations for damages suffered because of the government’s action.

While the group shares the same position on the economic implications of the sit-at-home on residents and the people of the region, it however, condemned the approach taken by the Enugu State Government which it described as “not the best practice and running counter to democratic norms.”

ENSNet maintained that the action of sealing off the shops of traders who voluntarily decided not to open shops on Mondays is tantamount to ultra vires as the state government under a democratic setting has no such powers to seal or close down shops of traders because no law empowers it to do so.

Citing constitutional provisions, the group said, “For the avoidance of doubt, those shops were genuinely acquired via the local government and the right to property as provided in chapter four (4) of the 1999 constitution as amended has been conferred on the owners of those shops and no individual or the Government has the power to take it away from them without following the due process of the law; of which the sealing off of the shops is certainly not part of it.

“Such action of the government is to the least can be described as “totalitarian in nature” and amounts to intimidation and suppression of citizenry.

“That the government of Enugu State should locate the families of the casualties of the protest and pay them the necessary compensations arising from the loss of lives while those that sustained injuries are to be treated and paid necessary compensations as damages sustained in the course of the protest occasioned by the action of the State.”

The organisation which is the umbrella body of civil society organisations in Enugu State, said that it is preposterous to hear the government linking the ugly recent at the market to the alleged invasion of imported miscreants when the same government told traders that there was adequate security in every part of Enugu metropolis including around Ogbete Main Market and that they should come out on Mondays for business.

“We call on Amnesty International, National Human Rights Commission and other relevant Human Right Defenders to intervene in this case and monitor development in Enugu State to avoid the escalation of use of force and intimidation on the citizens by the government in the course of further enforcement of the ban on sit-at-home order of the state government as well as to ensure that necessary compensations are paid to the victims of the attack on the protesters and their families.

“That the Government of Enugu State should rescind its conditions for unsealing of those shops and unseal the shops in the interest of justice, peace, integrity and honour and stop using “force” and “intimidation” to secure compliance to the ban as such approaches constitute aberration to democracy. Democracy requires persuasion and dialogue and not intimidation,” the statement partly read.

Hon. Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, the lone female All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Aspirant who stepped down for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the party’s special convention and presidential primary last year, has been appointed minister.

The Senate, on Thursday, unveiled Tinubu’s 28 ministerial nominees at the plenary. The names were read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary.

The letter containing the list was delivered by the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

She was one of seven APC aspirants who stepped down for the eventual winner, President Tinubu, at the convention, which took place at Eagle Square, Abuja.

Others were former Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio; former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa and Senator Ajayi Boroffice.

Before she announced her withdrawal from the race to support Tinubu, Ohaneye put up a dramatic show as she entertained the public with her dance steps.

Some Nigerians had expressed disappointment over her withdrawal from the race.

But in an interview, she told PUNCH that she has always enjoyed dancing even in public places.

“I danced because I share. When you share what you have, you invite happiness into your heart. Nigerians probably didn’t see me when I was leaving the stage. When I got to the front of the glass house, I danced again. That was when the disc jockey put ‘Buga’ music.

“I danced so hard and enjoyed my time at the convention before all the women started rushing to meet me. That was when I stopped to hug them,” she said.

Uju Kennedy Ohaneye

“Wetin concern me? I am a happy woman. I boogied down all the way. Even when they were counting the votes, I would stand and danced without a hoot about who was watching me. Let anybody hit their head anywhere if they don’t like it. I advise every other person to learn to be happy. That is the key.

“Wait till we win the 2023 general election, Nigerians will see me dancing all the way. I will wear my dancing shoes again.”

The President Bola Tinubu’s administration may create new ministries from the existing ones, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, disclosed on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ministerial list was submitted to the National Assembly by Gbajabiamila and was read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

‘’Mr President intends to separate portfolios or restructure the ministries in such a way you might be hearing of new ministries that were not standalone ministries before. So the process continues.’’

The 28 minister-nominees include Abubakar Momoh, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Ahmed Dangiwa, Hannatu Musawa, Chief Uche Nnaji, Dr Betta Edu, Dr Doris Aniche Uzoka, David Umahi, and Nyesom Wike.

Others are Badaru Abubakar, Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai, Ekperipe Ekpo, Nkeiruka Onyejocha, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, Stella Okotette, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, Mr Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Mr Dele Alake, and Mr Lateef Fagbemi.

The rest include Mr Muhammad Idris, Mr Olawale Edun, Mr Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, Mrs Iman Suleiman Ibrahim, Prof. Ali Pate, Prof. Joseph Utsev, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Sen. John Enoh, and Sen. Sani Abubakar Danladi.

Gbajabiamila said that the nominees were chosen after undergoing strict personal screening by the President.

He said that a second part comprising 13 names would be sent to the assembly, adding that this was part of the process of having a cabinet for the administration.

‘’As you know he had 60 days from time of inauguration, as stipulated in the constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the constitution by submitting 28 names today.

‘’As his letter stated, and was read on the floor of the Senate, the remaining names, not sure how many, probably about 12, maybe 13, will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days.

‘’As far as the nominees themselves are concerned, and like I said, Mr President took his time to sift through those names,’’ he said.

The Chief of Staff said that the president decided to tow the line of tradition by not attaching the portfolio of the nominees in the letter to the senate in order to give room for reviews.

‘’As good as that sounds, it straitjackets the president to pigeonhole one person in an office or the other. What happens then if you change your mind, do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the president is at liberty to change your mind.”

‘’For instance, if I decide I want somebody as Minister of Labour, and then after sending the name, later on, I decide that this person would actually be better with another portfolio. And meanwhile, the Senate has screened that person for that particular initial portfolio?.

‘’What happens then? Do you now re-screen the person? So, a lot of these things have their merits and demerits,’’ Gbajabiamila said.(NAN)

House of Assembly Candidate for Enugu East Rural Constituency in the 2023 general elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Robinson Ugwu has congratulated Chief Uche Nnaji on his appointment as Minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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In a message he personally signed and made available to newsmen on Thursday, Hon. Ugwu thanked Tinubu for finding the Chief Nnaji worthy of the highly exalted position, describing President Tinubu as a, “distinguished Nigerian patriot who sees all region as one.”

According to Hon. Robinson Ugwu, Uche Nnaji’s wealth of experience and track record of excellent performance will undoubtedly add fillip to ongoing efforts at improving efficiency and advancing the frontiers of good governance in the country.

He expressed optimism that the new ministers when confirmed by the Senate would turn things around for the good of the Nigerian people.

Chief Uche Nnaji was the Enugu APC Governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections.

Tinubu had on Thursday transmitted 28 Ministerial Nominees to the Nigerian Senate for ratification.

Hon. Robinson Ugwu and Chief Uche Nnaji