ICYMI: How Emefiele’s appointment unsettled Tinubu’s camp

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, prepares for the June 3 date of his resumption for a second term in office, effects of his re-appointment still lingers as bookmakers were proved wrong and certain political calculations were altered, The Daily Times can authoritatively prove.

Barely after the confirmation of his re-appointment, some interests who could not hide their displeasure knocked President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment and the Senate for such an accelerated screening and confirmation of the appointment.

Aside economic and financial pressure groups whose ego were bruised, there were tribal sentiment antagonists, but the political effect cannot be wished away as The Daily Times gathered that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political camp was badly affected.

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) no doubt is at a vantage position to nominate people for certain positions in the expected cabinet of President Buhari’s second term administration.

Before the 2019 polls, his larger than life posture in the party was whittled down by powers not comfortable with his overbearing position in Buhari’s government, but he bounced back to Aso Rock recognition before the election and he made his impact felt in Buhari’s success at the polls, especially in the South West, hence, his deft assemblage of his lieutenants for juicy positions in the new cabinet to be announced in few weeks.

When the coast was not yet clear about Emefiele’s re-appointment, a few of Tinubu’s men personally and through emissaries repeatedly visited his Bourdillon palatial home to curry his favour to be pencilled down for the CBN top job.

Prominent among interested persons, it was gathered, were incumbent Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Babatunde Fowler, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State in the March 23 polls, Adebayo Adelabu and a former Finance Commissioner in Lagos state, Wale Edun.

While Fowler held on to the FIRS job, he was said to made his intention clear to Tinubu that he should be penciled down for the CBN plum job or in the alternative, Tinubu should suggest him as the next Finance minister.

As for Adelabu, after losing the Oyo State gubernatorial race, he compelled Tinubu to pave way for his becoming the CBN governor, having served previously at the apex bank as a deputy governor.

However, Tinubu’s dilemma was resolved by the insistence of the powers that be in the Villa who allegedly benefited from Emefiele’s first term in office that the Delta State born banker should continue in office.

Tinubu, it was learnt, was in a fix over his two loyalists because he had a preferred person for the Finance ministry job in the person of Wale Edun, his former Finance commissioner.

Recall that Tinubu had in 2015 penned down Edun for same position before he was outsmarted by the outgoing Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, whose candidate, Kemi Adeosun, was appointed Finance minister.

It was further learnt that top on the list of Bola Tinubu’s ministerial candidate is Edun.

This, it was gathered, has started breeding bad blood among his loyalists who felt they are not getting enough from Tinubu commensurate with whatever contributions they have made to the Tinubu political empire.

While Works and Power Minister, Raji Fashola, is no more in the calculation of Tinubu as Lagos appointee, some loyalists thought he could give Fowler another position in the APC government believing he has oiled the political machinery in the last four years.

Those in support of Edun made Tinubu realise that he owes the former commissioner a lot for his perseverance coupled with the fact that he is a shrewd financial expert capable of handling the nation’s purse.

To solve the logjam, a reliable source said Tinubu is currently buying into the suggestion of unbundling the Power, Works and Housing Ministry to create room for a few more persons to be included in Buhari’s cabinet.

Tinubu, it was gathered, is considering the outgoing governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode, for one of them, particularly Works or Housing Ministry.

While Tinubu grapples with solving his internal political equation, The Daily Times learnt that pressures are mounting on shedding his weight and reducing his influence in the coming administration.

A Northern clique, our source added, has vowed to convince Aso Rock not to cede national economic powers to the South West, albeit Tinubu because of the danger it portends for 2023.

The anti- Tinubu forces argued that Tinubu needs economic power to position himself for his 2023 presidential ambition and should therefore, be curtailed.

The Daily Times further gathered that eminent APC leaders of Igbo extract who are hellbent on an Igbo Presidency in 2023 are ready to align with their Northern detractors of Tinubu to curtail what they fear might be his political and financial excesses.

While the Tinubu’s camp was very aware of these moves, it was learnt that the former Lagos State governor is not resting on his oars, as he is consulting political friends and associates across ethnic divides with a view of reaching some compromise.