President Jonathan Rewards Former Anambra Governor Obi, Others With Posts

 With just a month to the expiration of his tenure, President Goodluck Jonathan today offered a political reward to former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State by appointing him as the new chairman of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Mr. Obi, who served two terms as governor of Anambra State on the ticket of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), had defected to Mr. Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a move that critics saw as a betrayal of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Mr. Obi’s appointment came in a press release signed by presidential spokesman Reuben Abati.

Former Governor Obi played a prominent role in Mr. Jonathan’s failed reelection campaign. Officials of the Anambra State government, now headed by Governor Willie Obiano, also accused Mr. Obi of shamelessly leading the massive rigging of presidential and national assembly polls in his home state on March 28, 2015. According to a commissioner in the state, despite the state government’s pledge to support Mr. Jonathan’s presidential bid, “Peter Obi descended on Anambra with a convoy of highly armed soldiers on the day of the election. He drove around with the soldiers snatching ballot boxes from different places,” the commissioner said. He accused the former governor of acting out of selfish political motives.

Another state official alleged that, in addition to eyeing a plum political post in Mr. Jonathan’s administration, former Governor Obi was determined to pack the Anambra State Assembly with his PDP hacks to enable him to impeach Governor Obiano, his erstwhile political partner who reportedly resisted the former governor’s design to continue calling the shots in the state after the expiration of his tenure.

SaharaReporters learned that, had Mr. Jonathan won the presidential election, former Governor Obi would have been named either to a major cabinet post or replaced Anyim Pius Anyim as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

In today’s press release, Mr. Abati also announced other political appointments approved by President Jonathan.

Mr. Jonathan removed Dr. Femi Thomas as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), replacing him with Mr. Olufemi A. Akingbade as acting chief executive.

SaharaReporters learned that Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, one of the staunchest allies of the outgoing president, pushed for Mr. Akingbade’s appointment. The new acting head of NHIS is also from Ekiti State. Until his new appointment, Mr. Akingbade had served as general manager in charge of ICT at the agency. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science as well as a Masters in Business Administration.

Outgoing President Jonathan also approved the confirmation of Mr. Mounir Haliru Gwarzo as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission. “Mr. Gwarzo who has been acting as Director-General of the Commission, was appointed to the Board of the Securities and Exchange Commission as Executive Commissioner in January, 2013,” Mr. Abati wrote in his official release.