Obanikoro Appointed Minister Of State, Foreign Affairs

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday morning swore in eight new ministers. And in what seemed a subtle response to the criticisms that has trailed the re-appointment of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as minister, the President refused to return him to his former cabinet position as Minister of State for Defence.

The move by Jonathan to reappoint Obanikoro as Minister had met with stiff opposition from the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC and other activists over allegations that he abused his position as junior defence minister to rig last year’s gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, using soldiers to arrest leaders of the opposition party on the eve of the poll.

The election was won by Ayo Fayose of PDP who defeated Governor Kayode Fayemi of APC.

He also allegedly attempted to rig Osun governorship election in the same manner, but failed.

This suspicion was confirmed with the leakage of an audio tape in which Obanikoro and others were heard giving orders to a military commander on the arrest of key opposition leaders on the eve of the election.

The opposition APC had suspected that the aim of bringing back the former Senator who resigned to contest the Lagos State gubernatorial ticket of PDP, but lost, was to help use solders rig the 2015 polls especially in the Southwest where the President is facing stiff opposition.

Senators elected on the platform of APC had vigorously tried to stop the screening of Obanikoro at the National Assembly last Wednesday, but failed.

But in what seemed a reaction to the controversies that have dogged the Senator, the President did not return Obanikoro to his former cabinet position. Rather, Jonathan took the Senator, who is also a former ambassador, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as he announced the portfolios of the right new ministers he swore in on Wednesday morning.

Obanikoro was allocated the porrfolio of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II. The other ministers and their portfolios are: Mr Kenneth Kobani (Rivers)—Minister of State for Trade and Investment; Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa)— Minister of Information; Nicholas Akise Ada (Benue)— Minister of State for Foreign Affairs I; Augustine Akobundu (Abia)— Minister of State for Defence; Fidelis Nwankwo (Ebonyi)— Minister of State for Health; Hauwa Lawan (Jigawa)—Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs and Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya (Taraba)—Minister of Labour and Productivity.

Former Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Hassan was also elevated to the position of substantive Minister of Health.

In his remarks, the president told the new ministers that they were coming in at a challenging period.”