Aondoakaa was replaced with the Labour Minister, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) while the Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Ibrahim Kazaure was reassigned the Labour portfolio. Every other minister remains in his or her duty post.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who briefed the State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, gave no reason for the minor changes in the cabinet, but said the Acting President reserved the right to decide who would function where.
“It is the decision of the Acting President to move people. It’s not the decision of the FEC. He has the presidential power to move any of us,” she pointed out and declined further comment on the issue.
She said the council, while accepting the National Assembly’s resolution recognizing the vice president as Acting President, commended the lawmakers for their action and pledged to support Jonathan in his onerous responsibility of steering the ship of the nation.
Responding to reporters’ question on her controversial memo which was shot down last week, Akunyili said the memo was not represented in council and there was no need revisiting it because it had been overtaken by the National Assembly’s resolution. Meanwhile, Aondoakaa who fielded questions from the State House correspondents on the development said his redeployment was a cordial agreement reached between him and the Acting President before the commencement of the council meeting.
He described it as being in order since he had taken a position on the issue at stake, but pointed out unequivocally that he had no regrets for the role he played in the entire thing as he had no personal interest, but only carried out his function as the chief law officer of the country.
“The Minister of Labour is now the minister of justice. I am now the Minister of Special Duties. I think it’s understood. First, I had a discussion with the vice president, I have taken a position and in this life when you take a position and there is a change in the position ,you allow another person who will have a free atmosphere to defend the new position.
”I think what we did was a collective decision. He told me. First, I and the vice president had a discussion in the morning, it’s a cordial arrangement,” he stated, pointing out that he had already pledged his loyalty to the Acting President since he remained a member of the cabinet.
Asked if he had any regrets about his role, Aondoakaa replied: “No single action I’ve taken that I have regretted. Every single action I took was in the interest of this country. No country will say there is a vacuum. No attorney-general worth his salt will go to the pages of newspapers and say there is a vacuum. We have to preserve executive powers until a leader is selected. A leader has been given by the National Assembly and we have recognized him.
On how he intends to function in his new capacity, he said: “When I go there, the permanent secretary will brief me on what the special duties are and I will do the job.” Other major decisions of the FEC included approval of variation in the contract sum for the construction of a 200-bed athletes hostel in Abuja from N892.9 million to N1.8 billion and the appointment of the Urban Development Bank as managers of the N10 billion Urban Mass Transit Fund.
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