A suppressed yet sustained power play, mostly among leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has reportedly delayed the appointment of new ministers to fill existing vacancies in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). President Goodluck Jonathan is said to be in a fix over the development.

As a result of the last cabinet shake-up, four ministers - Godsday Orubebe, Stella Oduah, Caleb Olubolade and Yerima Ngama - were dropped.

But President Goodluck Jonathan's desire to make appointments to fill the vacant slots appears to have met a series of "intrigues and blackmail", a highly placed Presidency source told LEADERSHIP in confidence. He said there are ‘very peculiar cases in each of the states affected".

"As you know, times like these always breed mutual suspicion and acrimony, especially when the stakes are as high as ministerial slots; people lobby and deploy all kinds of measures to get for themselves or for cronies their desires.

"The case of the current vacant positions is very key and significant because interests are involved and these interests are all of the same family, the PDP. So Mr President has to be careful in handling the peculiar cases as they affect each of the states involved without hurting the feelings of any.

"Since the announcement of the exit of the four ministers was made, several lobby groups have thronged Aso Rock with a view to having their favoured candidates; and, in most cases, the interests are at variance with one another.

LEADERSHIP gathered that, in Ekiti, the recent governorship primary of the PDP which produced former governor Ayo Fayose as candidate has thrown up more challenges both for the party and President Jonathan. He is said to be considering the appointment of one of the defeated aspirants in the race. Already, the aspirants have threatened to dump the PDP if the party went ahead to field Fayose as candidate. This may mar the chances of Senator Ayo Arise who had earlier been pencilled in for the position.

In the case of Anambra State, the issue at stake has to do with the moves by the president to appoint immediate past governor Peter Obi to fill the slot vacated by Oduah. Obi, though of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is known to be a close ally of President Jonathan.

There have been reports that Obi was being propped by the president to replace Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as secretary to government of the federation(SGF), but he was said to have changed his mind soon after Obi handed over to his successor, Willie Obiano. A source told LEADERSHIP that the president's desire to have the former governor in his cabinet has attracted vehement opposition from PDP big wigs and financiers in Anambra State.

Kwara's pattern of the power play is peculiar as the race to replace the former sports minister, Bolaji Abdulahi, hots up. Even though there were moves to appoint Senator Gbemisola Saraki as minister before Abdullahi's sack, his exit, it was thought, would make things easier for the younger brother of Senator Bukola Saraki whose political structure has been transferred to the All Progressives Congress (APC) upon his defection to the party.

However, Gbemi's albatross is billionaire business woman and PDP's major financier in Kwara Hajiya Bola Shagaya. With backing from the first lady, Patience Jonathan, Shagaya has not hidden her aversion for the proposed appointment of the daughter of the godfather of Kwara politics.

In Kano, former governor Ibrahim Shekarau has to break a few barriers on his way before he could eventually emerge as minister. Shekarau's possible appointment as minister, precisely to man the education ministry, became rife shortly after he defected from APC to PDP.

Before his defection, President Jonathan had nominated Hajiya Jemila Salik and Ambassador Aminu Wali, both from Kano State. But while Wali was screened by the Senate, Salik's nomination was withdrawn at the last moment of her readiness for screening. But with Shekarau getting set for the ministerial job, a source told LEADERSHIP, "President Jonathan may not want to offend the forces that have reservations against the appointment of the former governor as minister".

But the most intriguing of the power play appears to be coming from Delta where Urhobo leaders under the aegis of Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) are set for a showdown with Vice President Namadi Sambo and chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees Chief Tony Anenih.

Already, the state's governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has nominated three people of Urhobo extraction, for the ministerial seat vacated by Orubebe in February.

The nominees are former secretary to Delta State government Chief Ovie Omo-Agege; PDP's national vice-chairman, south-south, Dr Steve Oru, and a former commissioner for education under the James Ibori administration, Chief Ighoyota Amori.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to pick one of the nominees.

LEADERSHIP learnt that while the UPU was rooting for Omo-Agege, Sambo and Anenih were scheming for the appointment of Oru as minister.

Findings by LEADERSHIP showed that Anenih recruited Sambo to facilitate the appointment of his ally.

The UPU had in a letter dated February 19, 2014, dispatched to Jonathan and signed by its first Deputy national president, Engineer Joe Omene, and national secretary, Chief Albert Akpomudje, recommended Omo-Agege for the top job.

In the letter entitled "Re: Recommendation of Chief (Barrister Ovie Omo-Agege as a fit and proper Urhobo indigene to be appointed as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria", UPU said: "Barrister Ovie Omo-Agege has a track record of having served Delta State government in several capacities, one of which was the enviable position of Secretary to the State Government.

"Consequent on the above, we have no hesitation whatsoever based on the directive of President General in recommending him as a fit and proper person to be appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the Urhobo ethnic nationality."

Reliable sources told LEADERSHIP that the UPU acted in consonance with the outcome of a meeting between its leaders and Jonathan in Abuja early this year. One of the sources said Jonathan assured the UPU delegation led by its president-general, Maj.-Gen. Patrick Aziza (rtd), that Orubebe's successor would be of Urhobo stock.

Consequently, Jonathan was said to have asked Aziza to send the name of the choice of the group to him.

In another letter to Jonathan by UPU dated March 20, 2014, the group insisted that it stood by Omo-Agege.

Akpomudje confirmed in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP yesterday that Jonathan promised to allow the ethnic nationality to produce the next minister from the state. He expressed the hope that he would keep his promise.