By Daniel Kanu
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Friday pledged to appoint his cabinet before inauguration if voted president by Nigerians.
Abubakar, in an apparent criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari, said if elected president he would appoint his ministers before May 29, 2019.
“If Nigerians elect me as their President, I will NOT take 6 months before naming my cabinet. My cabinet will be ready before May 29, 2019, if by the grace of God, you elect me. Our country needs a decisive leader to Get Nigeria Working Again,” Abubakar said on his verified Twitter handle.
Buhari, who was sworn-in on May 29, 2015, did not appoint ministers until about six months later in November.
A lot of analysts have said the president’s failure to appoint a cabinet early was one of the factors that worsened Nigeria’s economic problem in the early years of hisadministration.
Abubakar, a former vice president, is expected to be the main challenger to Buhari of the APC in 2019.
On Friday, Abubakar appointed Mr. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election. The move came barely one week after he clinched PDP’s presidential ticket at the party’s National Convention in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
