Politics
Mixed Reactions Greet Jonathan’s Dissolution Of FEC
In a similar vein, some Nigerians living in North America have cautioned Acting President against recycling old politicians when appointing new ministers.
They said the country’s executive arm of government needed the services of patriotic Nigerians to steer the ship of state to political stability and economic prosperity.
For many the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Wednesday did not come as a rude shock. A lot of notable Nigerians had anticipated few weeks after he was confirmed as Acting President that Dr Goodluck Jonathan would dissolve the cabinet. But he didn’t.
So on Wednesday when Dr. Jonathan took the bold step to sack the divisive FEC, a lot of people hailed it as “long overdue”. The Acting President had few days after assuming power reshuffled the cabinet.
Prior to the action, the FEC had displayed nonchalance to the yearning of Nigerians for a decisive action to fill the vacuum left by over three months absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua recuperating at a Saudi Hospital.
The same indecisive attitude had overtaken the FEC in the past three weeks since Dr Jonathan assumed powers as Acting President. But with the divisive cabinet now finally dissolved notable Nigerians believe the coast is now clear for Jonathan to mount the ruddership of the country.
Speaking on the development, former Governor of Old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa said that the action was in furtherance of constitutionalism. “We support his action”, he declared, “our concern with the Acting President is constitutionalism. We are supporting him based on the constitution to enable him perform.
He however, pointed out that the cabinet dissolution was completely a PDP affair and the acting president must get their support and also needs the support of the National Assembly.
On his part, Executive Director of Human Rights Monitor told The Tide On Sunday that the Acting President has the constitutional right to effect changes in the administration to give it a direction and a focus.
“All his actions are deemed to have the powers of the substantive president and since the donor has not complained yet. But if the substantive president resumed office and disapproved of the dissolution, he can reverse the decision based on public interest”, Okoye said.
On the other hand, he stressed that the action was long overdue because of, “the obvious divisions, distrust, mistrust and lack of fidelity”, while some of the Ministers had lost direction and needed the sack.
The activist cautioned Jonathan against the use and recycling of what he described as the old brigade.
The Action Congress (AC) in Kaduna also said that the dissolution was a welcome development. Speaking, its publicity secretary Mohammed Soba, told reporters that it was a welcome development, as the dissolved cabinet tended to be divided and owed their loyalty to ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua rather than the nation.
Former security adviser to erstwhile Governor of Rivers State, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe told The Tide On Sunday in a telephone chat that the action is belated.
Said Chief Sara-Igbe, “What he has done is the right thing to do. The Acting President is supposed to have dissolved the cabinet for long ago”.
Chief Sara-Igbe said the action would allow the Acting President to take control of the system and therefore called on Dr. Jonathan to appoint trusted and capable hands in the new cabinet.
Asked what caliber of persons that should make up the new cabinet, the former Rivers State Security Adviser remarked, “He should appoint technocrats and most importantly the new cabinet should be a mixture of radicals and technocrats to move the country forward”.
Similarly, a Senior Lecturer in the Political Science Department of the Rivers State University of Education, Dr Godwin Dappa submitted that the dissolution “is an evolution for better political stability in Nigeria”.
For Dr. Dappa, the Acting President’s action would break the backbone of the cabal responsible for destabilising the polity, since after President Yar’Adua took ill last year.
The lecturer, who is also United Nations special envoy to Dafur declared, “I see some of those appointed in the Acting President’s Advisory Council to be potential ministers”.
He added that there was nothing wrong with picking some of the President advisers from the advisory committee, since some of them are capable and trusted hands.
In a similar vein, some Nigerians living in North America have cautioned Acting President against recycling old politicians when appointing new ministers.
They said the country’s executive arm of government needed the services of patriotic Nigerians to steer the ship of state to political stability and economic prosperity.
Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, President of Nigerian Democratic Movement, a United States based pro-democracy group said he was curious about reports that the Acting President planned to return 20 former ministers.
“I’am not sure what the new strategy of the Acting President would be, but I would be surprised if he should sack 42 ministers and bring back 20. It would then not be a cabinet dissolution but a reshuffle,” he said.
Visiting Professor at the City University of New York, Ms Adanma Eze declared, “Nigeria needs a new set of people that are presentable on the global stage”.
She called on the Acting President to give more women the opportunity to serve in the new cabinet, in the spirit of the growing global trend, which recommends active women participation in governance.
Also the leader of Niger Delta Indigenes in Ghana, Rev. Selepere Appreala has described Jonathan’s action as being in the right track to develop the nation by choosing those who will work with him and deliver the nation.
Rev. Apprenla who is also the Head Pastor of Image of God Church Ghana, said it is left for the Acting President to nominate through the National Assembly those who would work with him and be loyal.
He urged Dr Jonathan to appoint technocrats who would work with him and protect the nation’s interest.
Rev. Appreala who hails from Bayelsa State have lived in Ghana for 10 years also said the Acting President is a knowledgeable man that would do every thing to ensure the unity of he nation, as he urged that he should not fail the nation by not reforming the electoral process.
He called on him to sack Chief Maurice Iwu and appoint a man with vision and international and national credibility and integrity.
According to him, “the Acting President should urgently re-address the issue of developing the nation and also addressing the post amnesty programme that would put a stop to the violence in the region.”
Rev. Appreala however said there should be re-organisation in the NNPC and also address the imbalance in the top managements of the petroleum sector.
It would be recalled that Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan had last Wednesday dissolved the country’s cabinet.
Dr. Jonathan became Acting President in February amid the continuing illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua.
President Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia for treatment in November last year and despite returning to Nigeria recently, has not been seen in public.
The dissolved cabinet was appointed by President Yar’Adua and the Acting President is working to stamp his own authority by asserting and exercising his powers.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.
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