BARELY 24 hours after the inauguration of the new Federal Executive Council by President Muhammadu Buhari, the leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has faulted the portfolio allocatedtothe state.
The ministerial nominee for the state, James Ocholi (SAN), was assigned the portfolio of junior minister in the re-configured Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The ministry until now, was known as Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
He is to assist former governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, in administering the ministry. Ocholi, described as one of Buhari’s earliest followers, was governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Kogi State during the 2011 elections. Buhari used the same party platform to launch his presidential bid that year.
He also contested the August 2015 governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, against the eventual winner, Prince Abubakar Audu, a twotime former governor of the state.
Addressing journalists in Lokoja yesterday, the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Bode Ogunmola, described as “humiliating and condescending”, the position of junior minister allocated to Kogi State in a, “c-grade, if not d-grade” ministry.
Ogunmola said Kogi State never had it so bad under successive PDP administrations, adding that the APC has demonstrated that the state and its people, can- not have a fair deal under its administration, particularly under an APC governor. Going down memory lane, Ogunmola said: “Under former President, Olusegun Obasanjo,
Kogi State manned the Police Affairs, Industries, Health and Justice ministries in that order, fol- lowing the appointments of Gen David Jemibewon, Chief Kola Jamodu, Prof Eyitayo Lambo and Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), respectively.”
He recalled that much as the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administra- tion between 2007 and 2011 could not guarantee senior cabinet ranks for Kogi ministers, Chief Gabriel Aduku and Humphrey Abah, they functioned in the, ‘A-Grade’ portfolio as Health, Interior and Police Affairs ministers at various times.
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