Buhari transition committee to emerge after guber polls

The decision to form the transition committee which will work out the modalities of smooth transition between Buhari and the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan may have been reached last week by the party’s stakeholders. A source close to the president-elect told our reporter that the decision was shelved till after the guber polls because “it […]

The decision to form the transition committee which will work out the modalities of smooth transition between Buhari and the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan may have been reached last week by the party’s stakeholders.
A source close to the president-elect told our reporter that the decision was shelved till after the guber polls because “it was going to be very tough and stormy session.”
“Everybody was interested in the transition committee. Power brokers, politicians and other stakeholders believed that getting onto the transition committee is a gateway to becoming part of the Buhari presidency,” the source explained.
But another source said last night that the committee will be handpicked solely by the president-elect and may likely be announced before the guber polls. “It is the president-elect prerogative. He knows who need to be on the committee. He has vast contacts across the country to pick. I can tell you that no name has been penciled down so far,” the source said.
Daily Trust learned that the party stakeholders met over the issue last week immediately after the president-elect received his Certificate of Return from the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega last Wednesday.
 APC chieftains that included Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, director general of the APC presidential campaign Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former FCT Minister and APC governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru el-Rufai, APC national chairman, John Oyegun, former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi among others met at the Buhari campaign office in Abuja last Wednesday afternoon.
It was gathered another meeting was held Wednesday night with the president-elect and party stakeholders that included some APC state governors, former Vice president Atiku Abubakar where the issue of transition committee was discussed.
But the meeting resolved that the dicey nature of the issue may distract the stakeholders’ attention of delivering their states to APC. “The issue would be revisited immediately after the guber polls,” the source said.             
It was also agreed that the transition team should comprises experienced civil servants, technocrats and politicians.
Some of the names that may serve as committee members include el-Rufai, Lagos State Governor Raji Fashola, former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, among others.
But another source said that the APC state governors may be allowed to nominate members from their various states.
The state nominations may subsequently be screened and vetted by the president-elect, it was gathered.
There were speculations that APC leader Tinubu will nominate the transition committee members.
 But the source said “no single individual may hijack the process because everybody’s eyes are fixed on the transition committee. The power play starts from that committee. It is a gateway to the government proper. So, the president-elect is threading carefully else the party implodes.”
He said “allowing the selection of the membership of the transition committee now is capable of drawing bad blood among stakeholders thereby affecting the governorship polls. That was why it was shelved till after the Saturday’s polls.”   
Politicians and appointment seekers have been trooping to the president-elect residence in Asokoro since last week.
Meanwhile, a new chief security officer (CSO) was appointed for the president-elect as part of security arrangement ahead of his swearing in on May 29.
An operative of the Department of Security Service (DSS), Abdulrahman Dauda Mani is the new security chief of the president-elect.
Mani’s  appointment was announced by the director general of the DSS Ita Ekpenyong last week when he paid a courtesy call to Buhari.
Mani’s appointment also came with accelerated promotion by the secret service.
Mani was deployed by the DSS as a security detail to Buhari in 2011 weeks before he launched his campaign that year.
Daily Trust learned that security has been beefed up around the president-elect a day after he was presented with a certificate of return by INEC.