No fewer than seven serving ministers in the federal cabnet may quit their ministerial positions on October 20 to go for gubernatorial contest in their various states.
The ministers are Senator Bala Muhammed (Federal Capital Territory), Labaran Maku (Information), Chief Emeka Wogu (Labour), Nyesom Wike (State, Education), Dr. Samuel Ortom (State, Trade, Industry and Investment) and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (State, Defence) and Special Duties, Kabir Tanimu Turaki.
It was learnt that Bala Mohammed will head for Bauchi state to seek to take over from Governor Isa Yuguda as Maku goes to Nasarawa state to try to replace Governor Tanko Al-Makura who is governing the state currently on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wogu is beleived to be nursing the ambition of succeeding Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State as Wike is interested in taking over Rivers State from Governor Rotimi Amaechi; Ortom has his eyes on the seat to be vacated by Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State while Obanikoro also plans to take over Lagos State from Governor Babatunde Fashola an APC governor all along.

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Nigeria’s minister of information, Labaran Maku looks set to dump his ministerial position as he prepares to contest the 2015 governorship election in Nasarawa state, most likely on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), even as he declared today that being governor will not add anything to his name since he had made all the name he could make in Nigeria.
Maku who made this declaration at a special mass thanksgiving at the Catholic Diocese of Lafia, St. Patrick’s Parish, Akwanga, Nasarawa State indicated that he would resign from the federal cabinet on October 20 to pursue his new ambition
“It is time to make my interest ‎known. By the grace of God, I will sacrifice the comfort of a minister, to go into the wilderness.
“I want to sacrifice the comfort of the high office that I am in now to join my people in the wilderness in  Nasarawa State to fight for peace and justice in this state.
“There is too much blood being shed here; there is too much evil taking place here; there is too much ‎destruction going on in Nasarawa State. The time has come for us to ask God to bring this era to an end. And it is only God that can do it. We are asking God that as we step out voluntarily which is very very important to me, that as we go into the wilderness, that God as He did for Moses, will lead us to cross the red sea of politics, rip water from the rock, give us manner of heaven, pull down the wall of Jericho.
“There may be giants out there, all over, but like Caleb, we trust God, we are able to conquer, we are able to subdue. So all we need is prayers and thank God for what He has done for me, not for what we are looking.”
Maku, who made a personal donation of N7.6 Million to the church made it clear that the sacrifice he ‎is about to make is for his people: “to liberate my people.”
The information minister who said that he was a typical example of a man that grew from grass to grace because of God’s favour, said that he was born to peasants farmers who did not even record the date of his birth in a village that he likened to the biblical reference of “can anything good come out of Nazareth.” He assured that he is not going into politics for the gains of office but to liberate his people, adding: “Just thank God for me; just pray for me because by next week, October 20th, anyone in the (federal) cabinet that wants to contest election must step down because the time has come for us to do that.”
Earlier in his sermon, ‎Rev, Fr. Je‎rry Ngbaya‎ assured that with God, a meaningless life, ebola, terrorism, marginalisation is something that will not last for ever in Nigeria. “In His time, God will remove all obstacles ‎from our country Nigeria.
“This gospel is a warning to all Christians that it is not enough to go to church; we must work for our salvation.”
He said that the fact that there are churches everywhere is not enough but that Christians must live their lives according to the dictates of Christ.
“Nigeria is rated one of the most religious nations in the world but it is an irony that it is among the most corrupt. Her citizens are insulted as a result of corruption. Even countries that are not religious have warned their citizens of doing business with Nigeria, yet Nigeria  has the largest religious people in the world with the largest contingents to pilgrimage.‎
“It is important that we must detach ourselves from material things. Some of us make material things take the place of God in our lives.
“The Catholic Church is to pray for good leaders and not to identify with any political party.”
He commended Maku for coming out to thank God for what He has done for him since 1999 till date, adding: “Thanksgiving remains the best thing you can give to God. It is an opportunity to think of the degrading situation our citizens are condemned to live in our land. Everywhere you go poverty is steering into the eyes. It is our sincere prayers that God will raise true men of God who will work for the people.
“We continue to pray for peace so that the current situation will ‎not consume us.”

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Gombe Elders Forum (GEF) in Gombe state has risen against one of them, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, who is currently the special adviser on political affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan. The elders have asked the President to sack him as he is no longer representing their interest well.
In a statement today signed by its secretary general, Alhaji Idris Musa Ahmed, the Gombe Elders’ Forum said that they have watched with keen interest the activities of all sons and daughters of Gombe state and the Northeast geo-political zone holding various political offices at the federal and state levels under the current dispensation.
“While we are pleased with the performance of many of the citizens of our state who have continued to make our people proud in their respective areas of stewardship at the national and state levels, we are however constrained to place on record that we cannot, with every sense of responsibility, say the same of the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali.
“In truth, we are appalled that as a Presidential aide occupying the slot of Gombe state and the Northeast geo-political zone, Prof. Alkali has proven to be incompetent, a poor representation and an apology of our cherished values of honesty, forthrightness and dedication to duty.
“Instead of striving to make meaningful impact in his assignment like others from the zone, Prof. Alkali has sold himself to avarice and lust, seeking cheap financial gains to the disappointment of the entire people of Gombe state and the Northeast geo-political zone.”
The Forum alleged that while other federal appointees use their offices and goodwill to propagate the development and unity of their states, Professor Alkali has focused on his parochial interests for which he has been organizing clandestine meetings in Abuja and Gombe to undermine the support Governor Dankwambo enjoys so as to present himself as the force to reckon with in Gombe state and the Northeast zone ahead of the 2015 general elections.
“Professor Alkali has no political value in Gombe and the Northeast. He is now exploring every means, no matter how reprehensible, to get undue political recognition instead of making efforts to improve himself in his job.
“We have noted that since his appointment as the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Prof. Alkali has, either due to crass incompetence or heinous sabotage, refused to defend the President in the face of ceaseless onslaughts and attacks on his person and office by his detractors.
“Alkali has never defended any policy or action of the President, especially the steps he has been taking to end insurgency, particularly in the North east. He has refused to meaningfully add his voice against the scourge.
“We are witnesses to the vigour and commitment with which other Special Advisers to the President on Political Matters before him carried out their duties. Alkali’s lethargic attitude to his assignment is therefore totally unacceptable to us and heavily smacks of sabotage.
“We therefore urge President Jonathan to watch his back. He has a man who cannot be trusted. A man engaged in sabotaging the National Chairman of his party, the PDP by sponsoring lies against him in a subversive move to cause confusion in the party, pull the National Chairman down and possibly take over his position, a scheme which is not only shameful but also wicked.
“Prof. Alkali has shown that he is not only incompetent but also cannot be trusted. Consequently, the Gombe Elders’ Forum completely dissociates from him and forthwith withdraws every support for him. We do this in the general interest of the good people of Gombe state and the Northeast in general.
“We can no longer continue to support a man who we cannot trust and who always fails in assignments given to him. He failed woefully as the National Publicity Secretary of his party and has now failed as the Special Adviser to The President.
“Finally, we wish to use this opportunity to restate our support for President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo and all well-meaning sons and daughters of Gombe state and the Northeast serving dutifully at the national and state levels.”

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