Crisis in APC over President’s refusal to sack Jonathan appointees – Report

According to reports, there is currently a crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sack some persons appointed into various offices by his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.

Some leaders of the ruling party are said to be calling on Buhari to sack the officialsand replace them with APC members, Punch reports.

“President Buhari took over on May 29, 2015 and has not rewarded APC members. Most of the heads of departments and agencies are members of the PDP who worked for Jonathan. For example, Onyeka Onwenu is still the Director-General of the National Women Centre while Mike Omeri is still the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency,” a chieftain of the APC told Punch.

“A former Special Adviser to Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, is still the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria while Mr. Sola Omole is still the Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority.

“There are almost 100 ambassadorial positions that are supposed to have been filled but these people are still occupying the offices. We are not asking for security or sensitive positions but all these appointments I mentioned are not statutory but merely political.

“Our people who worked so hard and spent money on Buhari’s campaign are languishing. There are many competent people in the APC,” he added.

Another APC leader reportedly said that about 15 of the 36 people Buhari chose as ministers did not work for the party in the last elections.

“In Bayelsa State, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri, was a member of the PDP during the elections and he campaigned for Jonathan. He defected to the APC in August and was appointed a minister the following month. And yet, the core APC members were abandoned,” he said.

“The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, from Gombe State, is not an APC member. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, is not an APC member. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, was a PDP member during the election and there are many more examples,” he added.

Buhari took over from Jonathan on May 29, 2015 after winning the March 28 presidential elections.