Oshiomole, Nnamani shortlisted for SGF job as committees nail Lawal, Oke

Investigation by National Daily has revealed that President Muhammad Buhari is set to name a new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to replace Babachir Lawal, who was suspended on April 19, 2017, on allegation of fraud in the award of contracts as head of the Presidential Initiatives for the North East (PINE).

National Daily gathered that immediate past governor of Edo State Mr. Adams Oshiomole and former Senate President Mr. Ken Nnamani are top on the list.

Though the source told National Daily that another unnamed northern Christian political leader made the list of nominees, for the top government job.

Following the suspension of the embattled SGF, Dr Habiba Lawal, the most senior permanent Secretary in the office of the SGF was appointed by the president in acting capacity.

National Daily gathered that President Buhari favours Oshiomole for the government top job, while top politicians in the country are putting pressure on the president to name Mr. Nnamani from Enugu state as Lawal’s successor for “ethnic balancing”.

National Daily also gathered over the weekend that the decision to appoint a new SGF followed recommendations by a three-man review committee headed by the Chief of Staff to President Buhari Alhaji Abba Kyari.

The Presidency source that spoke to National Daily on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that both the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Kyari review committees recommended the sack of the embattled SGF and the suspended Director General (DG), National Intelligence Agencies (NIA) Mr. Ayo Oke but was silent on whether the two appointees would be prosecuted.

ALSO SEE: $25bn NNPC contract scam: Kachikwu silent after meeting with Buhari

However, National Daily gathered that political leaders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are divided over what should be done to Lawal. While some are allegedly negotiating a soft landing for the embattled SGF, others are said to be calling for his prosecution to give credence to the Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.

It would be recalled that Lawal and Oke were suspended on April 19 and a three-man committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was set up to investigate them.

Lawal was accused of violating due process in the award of contracts as head of the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) while Oke on the other hand, was suspended following claims by the NIA boss that a large amounts of foreign and local currencies put at about N13 billion discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos belong to the NIA.