Femi Gbajabiamila
Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, is in the news again. This time he was accused by some Tinubu loyalists of selling appointments to the highest bidder.
According to a report by DAILY POST, there was growing outcry among Tinubu’s loyalists who are bent on making sure Gbajabiamila was eased out of the Presidential Villa.
Recall that last week, the President appointed 10 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, DAILY POST reported that since Tinubu assumed office, most names approved by the President for appointments were allegedly replaced by the Chief of Staff.
A source said that one of such cases was the replacement of the name of Ekiti REC with the name of a former commissioner under the immediate past Governor of Ekiti state, 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 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 added that there was a plan in place to ease Gbajabiamila out of the Villa.
“This is like the 5th time the CoS is embarrassing the President. There is a plan to ease him out of Villa by giving him an ambassadorial position,” the source said.
Another source noted that President’s Private Principal Secretary, PPS, Akeem Okunola, was already doing some of his work.
Besides, it was gathered that the president was already putting up a team that would help the CoS.
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.
In a swift reaction to the allegations, Gbajabiamila, on Sunday, denied reports accusing him of selling appointments to the highest bidders, particularly loyalists to the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Gbajabiamila stated this via his facebook page to deny the report.
He wrote “No amount of propaganda can derail my focus from delivering the president Tinubu’s agenda”
“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 that the president and his strong team will deliver without distraction.”
