President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff (CoS), Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has been accused of “trading off political appointments to the highest bidder” in his principal’s kitchen cabinet, an allegation he promptly denied on Sunday.
Media reports suggest a growing outcry among Tinubu’s supposed loyalists, who are bent on getting Gbajabiamila out of the Presidential Villa.
The President, last week, appointed 10 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, media reports further allege that since Tinubu assumed office, most names approved by the President for appointments were allegedly replaced by the Chief of Staff.
Reports cited one of such cases as the replacement of the name of Ekiti REC with the name of a former commissioner under the immediate past Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
The source said: “The REC from Ekiti that he (Gbajabiamila) put there, the man was Fayemi’s former commissioner, that was not the person Asiwaju signed off on. The person Asiwaju signed off on was one Toyin (Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola), the former Legal Adviser of INEC.
“But when the announcement was made, two members of the President’s cabinet met with him and complained that the person they nominated had been changed with another person.
“The President was infuriated, adding that he said he checked the name of the woman before he signed the list.
“He summoned his CoS, but when he arrived, he was stuttering. The President asked him to bring the list he had signed.
“The President said so, what he has been hearing is true that whenever he signs something, it will be changed. The President gave three instances that he signed for something and was changed. He felt bad and gave him the last warning. He directed that the woman’s name must be in the list.”
The source stressed: “The National Social Investments Programme (NSIP) issue too, that wasn’t the person Asiwaju recommended for the position. Halima Sheu was the one recommended by Asiwaju.
“Sheu was sacked by Sadiya Farouq, the immediate past Minister of Finance, because she was campaigning for us. When she was sacked, Asiwaju promised to return her to the same position or a higher one.
But Gbajabiamila, on Sunday, denied all the allegations of selling appointments to the highest bidders, particularly loyalists of the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Gbajabiamila took to his facebook page saying no amount of propaganda can derail their focus from delivering president Tinubu’s agenda.
He said: “Last Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) gave the renewed hope agenda a stable platform to deliver good governance to Nigerians”
“Our Agenda is not driven by pecuniary politics, and no amount of propaganda can derail our focus.
“We have a critical assignment to deliver, and our objectives will not be interrupted by baseless accusations from unverifiable quarters.
“Nigerians can be rest assured [sic] that the president and his strong team will deliver without distraction.”