It’s a vote of no confidence on president cabinet -PDP
President Muhammadu Buhari has made integrity the criterion for any Nigerian who will be a member of the cabinet in his second term which kicks off on May 29, 2019 when he will be sworn in.
Speaking on Saturday night at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women and Youths Presidential Campaign team dinner to celebrate his the re-election in Abuja, the president said only those with integrity and interest of Nigeria would be considered for appointments in the next cabinet.
The President who also promised women and youths that his administration will not disappoint them saying he will not exclude people of his generation in the distribution of positions.
“I appreciate your coming here tonight, but we have to congratulate ourselves for succeeding; we indeed thank God for this success, “he said.
“I assure you that I have listened on the representation made that my cabinet should include women and youth. Don’t celebrate it yet, I said I have listened to some of the representation made here. Well, I myself I am considering some of the old people and I will protect my constituency too.
“But I will assure you I will continue to have a team of people of integrity that are really concerned with Nigeria and Nigerians,” he said.
While acknowledging the role played by women and youths towards his re-election, he reassured Nigerian women and youths that he will not disappoint them in the next four years.
The group, women and youths had in their demands appealed for more women and youth representation in the next cabinet.
He also assured them that in his second term in office, he will not disappoint them.
“I will not disappoint you, our objectives are the same. We have to fix this country so that the next generation can have a country to be proud of. “We are working very hard to get the infrastructure in place, the roads, the rails so that Nigeria will mind their own businesses.
“I very much appreciate your coming here tonight …, but I’m congratulating ourselves for succeeding, if we had failed, my good God, thank goodness we have succeeded.”
In her remarks, the wife of the president, Mrs. Aisah Buhari expressed happiness at the overwhelming confidence reposed on President Buhari by Nigerians.
She assured them that he will use his second tenure to serve the interest of the masses, especially by addressing the huge gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.
“I wish I can invite all the 15 million Nigerians that voted for Mr. President to this dinner, but no place can accommodate you all. So let me say thank you and assure you that you made the right choice.”
“Specifically, I wish to express my appreciation to the women and youth presidential campaign team that I initiated to complement the efforts of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“As you all know by now, the aim of setting up the team was to get women and youth, who form the majority of the electorate, involved in all the campaign activities across the country,” she said.
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Buhari was playing to the gallery with his integrity mantra.
The national chairman of the PDP, Mr. Uche Secondus while reacting to the president’s statement, said rather jump to form a new cabinet, the president should await the ruling of the election tribunal to determine the legitimacy or otherwise of the mandate upon which he intends to appoint new ministers.
The deputy national publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Diran Odeyemi said in an interaction with journalists in Abuja that by the statement, the president had admitted that outgoing ministers did not merit their appointments in the first place.
“The president needs not be in a hurry to form a cabinet. It took him more than five months to appoint ministers when he was elected in 2015, so why is he in a hurry? He is just playing to the gallery.
“Majority of Nigerians opine that he is a product of rigged election this time and for that reason, he must wait patiently for the tribunal’s ruling before thinking of new ministers.”
He said Nigerians are not fooled and will continue to demand justice for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar “because they know he was shortchanged.
“If the President said the new ministers will be men of integrity, is he now saying those he appointed in 2015 lacked the virtue? Nigerians can now see what the PDP has been saying all the while. The All Progressives Congress, APC-led administration was a mistake and Nigerians have done well to reject with the power of their vote,” said the PDP.
