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ALAMIEYESEIGHA MAYBE NOMINATED AS MINISTER

As mixed reactions trail the state pardon granted former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, facts have emerged as to why President Goodluck Jonathan extended clemency to his former boss. The Federal Government had secretly granted Alamieyeseigha state pardon within the week, without making it public. The news eventually leaked, however.

While the controversy rages, competent sources told Saturday Sun that the main reason pardon was granted Alamieyeseigha is to pave way for him to get a government appointment.

It was gathered that there is a high level plot to nominate the former governor as minister of petroleum, in the expected cabinet reshuffle. A source revealed: “The president plans a total overhaul of the federal cabinet in the next couple of months, and part of the plan is to make sure Alamieyeseigha gets a ministerial slot, and possibly or very likely the oil minister’s post.”

The source revealed that if Alamieyeseigha is not nominated for ministerial appointment, the second option is ensure that he gets elected into the Senate in 2015. According to the source, “but if that does not work, the next possible stop for him is to aim at the Senate in 2015.

That is the worst situation, if other things work out as planned.” Another bizarre revelation is the information that there is also a plan for Alamieyeseigha to become a vice presidential candidate in 2015, in the event that Jonathan’s second term ambition does not work out. Saturday Sun gathered that Alamieyeseigha’s state pardon would have been effected before 2010, but the Presidency was persuaded to drop it for political exigency. “The president had planned to do that in about late 2010, but he was told the negative political backlash it may have on his election chances in 2011. That is why it had to wait till now,” a source said.

Meanwhile, fresh facts have also emerged as to why Chief Tony Anineh emerged as the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Sources said that his choice was to stop ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from having his man at the head of the BoT, with 2015 election in view.

The source stated: “Another major reason for which Anineh was considered the right person is his strength and personality. He’s expected to ensure the PDP governors fall in line for the Jonathan’s 2015 project.

At least, we have seen that playing out in the hurried creation of the PDP governors’ caucus and how Anineh has been attending its meetings. The bloc was formed to break the ranks of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and cut to size those influential governors in the forum opposed to Jonathan.”

The source revealed that Anineh will soon resign as the chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) board, “to make sure he has enough time and no distractions to flog the governors and other opposition factors within the PDP into line.” The granting of state pardon to Alamieyeseigha was planned to be secret through non-announcement by the presidential media team.

It was gathered that prior to the leakage of the pardon, the Presidency and Alamieyeseigha’s camps had reached the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) top leadership and other opposition bodies to intimate them of what was coming and reaching an understanding that they should look the other way