Buhari shuts out members of his kitchen cabinet as he selects his new ministers alone in London

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari appears to be putting finishing touches to the composition of his new cabinet in total secrecy which is why he decided to relocate to London to be alone and not allow members of his kitchen cabinet influence his selections.

On April 25, President Buhari arrived in the UK for what was described as a private visit and it is believed that he came to London to see his doctors. However, it appears that the president is also using the opportunity to select the members of his new cabinet that will take office on May 29 when he is sworn-in for his second term in office.

It appears that President Buhari has even kept away the influential members of his kitchen cabinet like Mamman Daura, Abba Kyari, Boss Mustapha, Baba Gana Kingibe and  Babachir, to prevent them influencing his selection. Some members of this inner circle, popularly called the cabal, who went to London during the week to see him, were said to have been denied access to the president.

So far, President Buhari has not demanded any ministerial nomination list from either the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders or the party's governors. Many of the outgoing ministers have been running to the governors of their states, asking that a word be put in regarding their return to the cabinet and President Buhari was said to have expressed surprise at the high number of names being touted for ministerial appointments.

It appears that President Buhari has adopted a tough approach to the formation of his cabinet unlike in 2015 when some members of his kitchen cabinet hijacked the process and imposed their friends on him. This time around, only one minister was allowed to visit him in London with everyone else told that the president was not receiving visitors.

Once presidency source said: “It seems Buhari has realised that there are some deadwoods in his cabinet which he ought to offload. He is keeping the choice of new ministers to himself alone.

“His London itinerary was not only kept to himself until the last minutes, he did not allow close associates, strategists and members of his kitchen cabinet to have access to him in London. Those who went to London came back empty handed, as only one outgoing minister was allowed access to the president.

“We do not know what informed this sudden change of attitude, but it seems the President is really determined to live up to his promise to leave sustainable legacies in his second term by looking for the right people to serve in his cabinet. You can crosscheck with the party, Buhari has not asked for any input from the APC."

It appears that some governors attempted to gauge his mood but President Buhari was non-committal, keeping quiet and allowing the governors to do the talking. Meanwhile, the presidency has dismissed the rumour of possible extension of the president’s 10-day vacation on health grounds, saying the story was totally unfounded.