“Tinubu wants to appoint loyalists ahead of 2027” — LP reacts to planned cabinet reshuffle

As President Bola Tinubu prepares to reshuffle his cabinet, opposition political parties have expressed skepticism about any positive outcomes from the move.

The opposition parties have criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government, suggesting that the reshuffle will do little to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.

Yunusa Tanko, the campaign spokesman for Peter Obi, the former Labour Party Presidential candidate, said that the party’s primary concern lies in improving Nigeria’s electoral system rather than any cabinet changes.

“We are not really interested in whether Tinubu changes or sacks his ministers. One of the major areas we thought there would be an improvement in is our demand for electoral reform. If we have an improved electoral reform, it will inevitably give us a good opportunity for credible elections to take place,” Tanko said.

He further argued that the cabinet reshuffle might be a strategy by Tinubu to secure loyalty from ministers ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Sacking or replacing your cabinet with new people is an extension of state capture. He will only be replacing them with his loyalists, which we know will be a strategy ahead of 2027.

“But if he is really serious about improving the performance of his governance at the moment, he can start considering reshuffling his cabinet. Quite a number of the ministers are not measuring up to expectations,” he added.

Similarly, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed doubts about the potential impact of the reshuffle.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, linked the perceived poor performance of the current ministers to what he described as Tinubu’s lack of genuine concern for Nigerians.

“It is not about changing the cabinet. When you acquire power through fraudulent and desperate means, it would take a million efforts, programmes, and policies to correct it because something cannot stand without a foundation,” Abdullahi said.

“So what is the foundation of his presidency? That is the crux of the matter. As PDP, we are not expecting anything good during this period of divine grace, that God will keep him in power.”

Adding to the criticism, Peter Ameh, the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), warned Tinubu against repeating the mistakes of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who kept the same ministers in place for eight years despite widespread criticism.

Ameh urged Tinubu to be mindful of the need for competent leadership to drive meaningful change in Nigeria.