APC Rejects Opposition’s Call for Tinubu to Reshuffle Cabinet

The opposition political parties in Nigeria, under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties and the Nigeria Political Science Association, have called on President Bola Tinubu to reshuffle his cabinet to bring in fresh leadership that can alleviate the burden on Nigerians.

But the ruling party rubbished the call, describing the opposition as a confused group.

“It is not a matter of bringing in more people into the cabinet or reshuffling people in the cabinet, but a desire to ensure, which I believe is what Mr. President is considering, that there are measurable tools to ensure those appointed discharge their office creditably well for the benefit of Nigerians,” the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, told reporters.

Nigerians have been struggling with economic difficulties caused by the removal of fuel subsidies and policies implemented by President Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress.

These challenges have made it tough for many Nigerians to afford essential necessities.

The National Secretary of CUPP, Peter Ameh, called on President Tinubu to replace ineffective ministers with capable Nigerians who possess the expertise to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians.

Ameh, speaking to reporters, said it was no surprise that President Tinubu’s ministers were failing, and suggested that a responsible government would have dismissed them long ago.

He stated, “His ministers failing does not come as a surprise, if he could remove the fuel subsidy without models that would be used to cushion the effects on the general populace, on the masses. I think the ministers are a reflection of the failure of Tinubu’s government and the incompetence that has been displayed by these ministers. How do you have over 40 ministers who are largely unknown? They are all largely unknown because they are not impacting lives, they are not doing anything.

“We cannot say that there are no ministers that have tried to do one or two things like the FCT Minister, like the Aviation Minister. Most of the ministries are largely unproductive. People don’t want to say the truth.

“So President Tinubu must examine the process of ministry performance. Any of these ministers that has fallen short of some of these performance indexes should be booted out for the sake of Nigerians, for the poverty that people are suffering. If the government is serious, if the government believes they want to do the right thing for our people, you must not keep a minister for eight years like Buhari did and so much suffering was in the country.

“Through evaluation, he needs to get new people on board who have the capacity, competence, and merit to drive Nigeria from this poverty level. If he fails to do this, then the President has failed because it is necessary now that the President sacks and evaluates these ministers and puts new people who will inject life into the ministry.”

Also, the President of the NPSA, Prof. Hassan Saliu, emphasised that President Tinubu holds the authority to hire and dismiss underperforming ministers.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, Saliu stated: “The authority to hire and dismiss lies solely with the President. Ministers serve Nigeria through the President. Therefore, only the president can decide whether he is satisfied with their performance and wishes to retain or replace them. Until the President reshuffles his cabinet or removes them, it suggests he is content with their contributions in their respective roles.

“The tenure of ministers should not solely be determined by how long they have served—whether one year, nine months, or otherwise—but by their performance. From a distance, some ministers have demonstrated commendable achievements, while others appear to be still finding their footing in their positions—it’s a mixed bag.

“Ultimately, the President holds the power to determine their fate—whether to allow them to continue or to dismiss them. Admittedly, not all ministers in Nigeria have performed satisfactorily. While some are making efforts, there are others whose contributions remain unclear.

“Therefore, I recommend that the government should bring in new individuals with proven integrity and experience. Nigeria’s current situation does not warrant trial-and-error appointments but demands raising the standard for ministerial roles and expectations.”

But reacting, the ruling APC mocked the Coalition of United Political Parties, which it described as a confused group.

Speaking with reporters the Deputy National Organising Secretary of APC, Nze Chidi Duru, expressed surprise that the opposition, which once hounded the Presidency to seek ways to cut down on governance could still be talking about rejigging and filling up spaces in Tinubu’s cabinet.