Obasanjo Presents Soludo as Finance Minister, Tinubu Kicks

Obasanjo Presents Soludo As Finance Minister, Tinubu Kicks

Information available to 247ureports indicates that the typical horse trading for the sensitive ministerial positions within the Buhari administration has ensued.

Available information indicates that the former Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo may have been presented by the former president of Nigeria, General Olusegun Obasanjo as the possible Minister of Finance for the Buhari administration.

Prof. Soludo had served as a member of the economic team for the Obasanjo administration prior to becoming the governor of the CBN.

Soludo’s presentation to the incoming administration as the likely minister of finance is reported to have raised eyebrows within the inner circles of the All Progressive Congress [APC] – who explained that Soludo remains a card carrying member of the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA]. He complained that Soludo cannot be allowed to reap where he did not sow. The main chieftain of the party, Bola Tinubu is said to be among the APC members who were skeptical about Soludo’s possible appointment as Finance minister.

Already, Tinubu, according to a highly placed source, had reached an agreement with General Mohammadu Buhari prior to the APC presidential primaries – concerning the appointment of ministerial positions. The source reveal that Tinubu extracted an agreement from Buhari – which Buhari appended his signature on as preconditions to his participation in the APC primaries – of appointing nine [9] ministerial positions to the Buhari administration. The nine ministration slots are said to be the nine ‘juiciest’ ministerial slots – including that of Petroleum, Finance, Works, FCT, Interior. It is to this end that the Tinubu camp frowns at the presentation of Soludo as a finance minister – to occupy one of the supposed slots reserved for Tinubu.

Soludo, on his part, is reported to have been convinced by the former head of state, Obasanjo to accept the position – if and when offered by the Buhari administration. A source close to Soludo indicates that Soludo appears eager to return to government service. The source however added that Soludo remains cautious of the offer.

Prof Charles Soludo had been heavily critical of the economic policies of the Jonathan administration. His criticism had been published as newspaper articles in major news dailies of numerous occasions. The Jonathan administration had in turn attempted to witch hunt the former CBN governor by using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] to harass and embarrass him. The EFCC was successfully used to derail the 2012 gubernatorial aspiration of the former CBN governor. The EFCC finally cleared the former CBN governor of all wrong doing in February 2015.

-247ureports