The former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has said that the rejection of Kano State’s ministerial nominee, Dr Maryam Shettima, popularly called Shetty, has shown that cabals still exist in the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Dalung made this known on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Newsclick Nigeria reports that Shetty’s name on the ministerial nominees’ list submitted to the Senate was then withdrawn and replaced with that of Mariya Mahmoud.
The minister declared that there is still an existing cabal in the Aso Rock, stressing that the same set of people ensured that he did not return as a minister because his tongue was described as “toxic”.
He boasted of having outstanding records that nobody has been able to beat to date while adding that he had a covenant with Buhari that he would speak freely, which is why he agreed to serve under him.
“Even now, there is a cabal in Tinubu’s government, and they will always exist. They are a group of ambitious people with different ambitions within the power base set to hijack power and protect their interests.
“How would a ministerial nominee from Kano State find her name in the list and was told that she isn’t on the list upon confirmation?
When queried if he would like to serve under President Tinubu, Dalung said, “On the condition that they would not padlock this mouth”.
The former minister from Plateau State served as a cabinet minister between 2015 and 2019 in the first term of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also contested the House of Representatives seat in the flagship of the Social Democratic Party following his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress on April 18, which he lost to Beni Lar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 42,008 votes.