By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
LAGOS – THE hurdles against many incumbent ministers returning in the soon to be reconstituted federal cabinet have been raised by some Governors who have vowed to have their pound of flesh from the serving ministers over some disagreement they had after the ministers were appointed.

Apart from the Governors, officials of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are also lurking around to scuttle the nomination of a number of ministers who, yesterday, were said to have refused to cooperate fully with their state chapters of the party.

However, a number of returning Governors are in difficult straits in deciding between the outgoing ministers from their states and new political heavyweights who played crucial roles in their successful bids for re-election last month.

One of those now favoured for the slot is the National Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Vanguard learnt, weekend, that Baraje’s prospects brightened with the goodwill he is receiving from the outgoing Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

A source said that his impressive stewardship at the national secretariat of the party, was also counting for him in the corridors of power in Abuja.

Ministers during cabinet meeting

The position of the ministerial representative for Kaduna State was, yesterday, said to be presenting a tricky situation for the Governor, Mr. Patrick Yakowa as Vice-President Nnamadi Sambo is believed to be the overall kingmaker on who would be eventually nominated from the State.

It was learnt that Yakowa was under strong pressure to present Alhaji Usman Hunkuyi who contested the PDP gubernatorial primaries with him. Hunkuyi had dragged Yakowa to court over the conduct of the PDP gubernatorial primaries and was only persuaded to drop the case about three days to the election. His agreement and eventual support for the Governor is believed to have aided the Governor in his very difficult election last month.

Meanwhile, Yakowa is said to be in difficult straits balancing the interest of the Vice-President who it was learnt was a schoolmate and professional colleague of the incumbent Minister, Arc. Nuhu Wya.

The prospects of Wya returning to the cabinet are, however, being dimmed by the fact that he is from the same senatorial district with Yakowa. Most of the ministers nominated to represent Kaduna State in the past twelve years were from the southern part of the state, a procedure adopted to balance the delicate ethnic and religious balance in Kaduna State when the two previous Governors before Yakowa were Muslims.

Many other ministers including Yusuf Suleiman (Transport), Emeka Wogu (Labour and Productivity), Diezani Allision-Madueke (Petroleum), Nduese Essien, (Lands) it was learnt were in good reckoning based on their good working relationships with their Governors and local officials of the PDP.

Suleiman it was learnt was able to deliver Sokoto southeast senatorial district during the gubernatorialelection.
It was also learnt that besides his acclaimed success in managing the difficult relations with Labour, Wogu was also instrumental in forging the new unity in the Abia State chapter of the PDP that has seen perennial political rivals and godfathers unite behind the state Governor.

Vanguard also learnt that Prof. Sheiks’ prospects in the new cabinet may be endangered by his alleged lack of efforts in using his office to build political bridges in Niger State during his tenure in the Ministry of Agriculture. A respected academic from Ahmadu Bello University, he was picked as a neutral choice between contending political forces in Niger State during the reconstitution of the federal executive when President Jonathan took over as Acting President last year.

Irrespective of the choices of the Governors, political leaders, yesterday, were inclined to the fact that President Jonathan would play the decisive role in the choice of whosoever is made minister.

A senior PDP official told Vanguard , yesterday: “The President is the only one that can decide so whatever permutations we are making would be subjected to the approval of the President.”