There are signs that President Femi Gbajabiamila’s days as the Chief of Staff, or CoS, may be numbered in light of claims that he has been giving presidential appointments to the highest-bidding parties.
According to information obtained by Platinum Times, Tinubu’s supporters are becoming increasingly vocal in their demands that Gbajabiamila be gradually removed from the Presidential Villa.
Remember that the President appointed ten Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) last week?
Platinum Times learned, however, that the Chief of Staff has reportedly substituted the President’s approval for most appointment names since Tinubu took office.
According to a trustworthy source, one such instance saw the Ekiti REC’s name being changed to that of a former commissioner serving under Kayode Fayemi, the state’s most recent governor.
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 to complain that the person they nominated had been changed with another person. The President was infuriated, 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 the CoS’s work.
Besides, it was gathered that the President was already putting up a team that will 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.
“But the CoS also sold the position again. They had to fight it again before Halima Sheu came back to NSIP. Asiwaju is putting a team together outside CoS to help him with the system because the embarrassment is getting too much. The PPS, Akeem Okunola is already doing some of his work now.”