By Abdulkareem Haruna
There is a growing sense of unease among the current cabinet members in the Borno state government ahead of the compulsory end-of-term cabinet dissolution expected to be carried out by Governor Babagana Zulum before May 29th.
Rumours swirl that the governor, currently holidaying abroad, may soon announce the dissolution. But some people doubt if the second tenure cabinet would ever be differ from the current one.
The governor had, at the beginning of his first term, in 2019 promised to change his cabinet annually, to allow many other politicians who worked for the party during the 2019 elections to be carried along by his government.
However, despite this promise, Governor Zulum was unable to carry out his promise as he retained the cabinet, except for some little shakeups, throughout his first term of four years.
This has, no doubt, led to growing dissatisfaction among some party members, who feel that they have been excluded from the political process.
There is no questions that Governor Zulum has received widespread recognition and praise for his notable achievements over the last three years and eleven months. Nevertheless, some party members feel discontented as the Governor’s failure to execute his commitment to annual cabinet reshuffles may have deprived the government of opportunities for new and more innovative ideas.
Some of the outgoing commissioners are reportedly already lobbying to be carried along in the second and final term of Governor Zulum. However, it remains to be seen whether the governor will heed their requests or opt for a complete overhaul of his cabinet.
A top insider of the Zulum cabinet who spoke to this writer off-record hinted that the governor would “shock many people” by the time he took the oath of office on May 29.
“Everyone would answer his father’s name in the second term because there may be a lot of surprises,” the source said.
Across the board, the looming cabinet dissolution and the attendant high-wired lobbying underscores the challenges to be faced by Governor Zulum in managing the diverse interests of his party members and delivering on his promises to the people of Borno State.
As the governor prepares to commence his second term in office on May 29,/many will be watching closely to see how he navigates these complex political waters and steers the state towards progress and development as projected in his 25-year development plan and ten years action plan of Borno state.
Bay States News 