Northern APC governors will be major deciders of Tinubu’s ministerial list - Laolu Akande

The All Progressives Congress (APC) northern governors may have “tremendous influence” on President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial selection, according to Laolu Akande, a former spokesperson for former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to Akande, the governors pushed for balance in the party’s zoning structure during the 2022 presidential primaries. Akande appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

“The governors of the APC, especially the Northern governors were able to stand for the right thing when we were almost on the verge of tweaking the zoning balance. So, you will imagine that people like that will also have a tremendous influence on what is gonna happen,” Akande said.

He claimed that the APC governors were crucial in helping Tinubu secure the party’s presidential nomination.

“You remember what happened when the former chairman of the party went to announce a candidate, the governors of the APC especially those in the North, were able to stand and say, ‘No, it’s time to go to the South,’ which is a very commendable thing that we must also say,” he said.

The former vice-presidential spokesman asserts that the President is taking his time to achieve the 60-day deadline and that Tinubu is acting strategically by carefully vetting individuals for each job that he believes are qualified.

Tinubu is set to present the long-awaited ministerial roster by the end of this week.

Recall that on March 17, 2023, then-outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari signed laws requiring candidates to be nominated within 60 days of the president taking office.

The projection comes as Senate sources revealed on Thursday that Tinubu’s nomination list had arrived at the National Assembly.