#Bayelsa 2016: Diezani Madueke And Patience Jonathan At War, Jonathan In The Dark!

Petroleum Minister  Ms Allison Madueke

Nigerian First Lady, Dane Patience Jonathan

Still fresh from the bickering  that led to the sack of the Federal Minister of Aviation, Honourable Stella Odua by the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the controversial Minister for petroleum resources, Diezani Allison Madueke appear to find herself in another battle for ultimate supremacy inside the Jonathan kitchen cabinet. This time the federal minister is reported to be a daggers drawn with the wife of the President.

You would recalled that the exit of the Aviation Minister, Stella Odua came about partly because of the battle for supremacy between the two lady ministers. The petroleum minister due to her closeness to the President managed to win the battle – which led to the exit of the Aviation minister.

Information available to us via www.247ureports.com indicates that presently, all is not well with the women around the President. Particularly, the First Lady of the nation, Dame Patience Jonathan and the Federal Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison Madueke are reported to be a daggers edge with each other – over the upcoming gubernatorial exercise in their home state of Bayelsa State.

A highly reliable source indicates that the Petroleum minister has recently begun nursing ambitions of becoming the governor of Bayelsa State. The source indicates that the petroleum minister is likely to step down from the Jonathan administration as the re-election campaign heats up – to avoid being a mark for the President’s political opponents to attack the President on the presidential campaign trail. The petroleum minister is likely to bow out of the Jonathan administration to make way for a rancour-less  presidential re-election campaign. The petroleum minister has been plagued with controversy over her mismanagement to oil resources and financial impropriety. The petroleum minister is reported to play the role of a cash cow to the President – to settle most of the political cash settlements which the President uses to buy political support – the like Fani Kayode and others. The lease of private jets at exorbitant rates, the unaccountable cash withdrawals by the petroleum ministry from the country’s oil revenues, the foggy cash reconciliation of the petroleum ministry were among the list of lingering and highly controversial issues that may crop up becloud the re-election campaign.

In Diezani’s first attempt at seeking a suitable office, following her exit from the petroleum ministry, she sought to join the international oil industry at the world scale by contesting for the position of secretary to OPEC. Her attempt failed.

Having failed, she turned her efforts to occupying the government house in Yenogua, capital of Bayelsa State. Already, the presidency through the makings of the 1st lady had begun searching for a replacement for the current governor of Bayelsa State, Barrister Seriake Dickson. According to an official close to the 1st lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has an ‘acute’ interest in selecting who eventually replaces the current governor in 2016. The current governor of Bayelsa State is reported to have fallen out of favour with the presidency – by way of the 1st lady. The governor fell-out with the presidency following his misunderstanding over financial matters with the 1st lady. The 1st lady is said to have been making requests on governor – which the governor was unwilling to grant.

For this reason, the 1st lady’s quest to maintaining her godmother role in Bayelsa and the efforts of the petroleum minister to mount the governorship mantle – collides in a manner that has brought a renewed rift between the two women.  Already, the petroleum ministry has opened talks with would-be financial and political stakeholders within the Bayelsa political sphere – and has begun meeting with groups on an exploratory manner to test the waters on the possibility of contesting for the primaries for the gubernatorial ticket. The first lady, on her part, has already selected a ‘son’ to replace the current governor. The special ‘son’ is said to be a current ‘aide’ to the presidency who had followed the first lady through her career as the 2nd lady at the Bayelsa State government house. The ‘son’ is said to have the complete trust of the first lady – and he has proven his trustworthiness over the years.

The governor of Bayelsa State is said to be aware of the on-going efforts to replace him come 2016. Sources near the governor according to www.247ureports.com, said that the governor has accepted the possible fate that awaits him. One of the sources added however that the governor “will not go down without a fight“.

On the President’s part, our source point out that the president remains largely in the dark over the nature of the rift. The source indicates that the president appears consumed by his re-election efforts. To him, “its do or die“.