Even though he has been picked as the new Chief of Staff, the usual intrigues in the Presidency seems to have delayed the official announcement.
The highly coveted post has been source of a lot of intrigues in the last couple of weeks since CORONAVIRUS took away the former occupant paving way for a new man to occupy perhaps the most influential post in BUHARI’S government
Ibrahim Gambari, a retired diplomat, has however been appointed as president Muhammadu Buhari chief of staff, according to a presidential source, the Emir of Ilorin and a UN representative to Nigeria.
The appointment has not been officially announced by the president. Gambari is one of Buhari’s appointees during his military rule.
A presidency source who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymous said: “it’s yet to be official and so let’s see what happens during the virtual FEC tomorrow.”
But the Emir in Ilorin, Gambari’s hometown, in a statement on Tuesday evening thanked Buhari “for appointing Professor Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff.”
Mohamed Yahya, the Resident Representative to Nigeria for the United Nations Development Programme, has also tweeted about Gambari’s appointment.
“I Congratulate Prof. Agboola Gambari former UN Under-Sec-General and a true PanAfricanist, for his appointment as the new Chief of Staff to Pres @MBuhari,” Yahya tweeted.
“Looking forward to forging partnerships that will continue to support the achievement of Nigeria and Africa’s devt agenda,” he added.
The appointment of a new chief of staff comes almost a month the former chief of staff to Buhari, Abba Kyari, died.
Abba Kyari held the position 75-year-old Gambari is expected to fill. Kyari died last month after weeks of battling COVID-19.
Buhari described Kyari as a friend, brother. His death opened a new wave of hope for other close allies of the president – Kingibe, former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and others who reportedly fancied Kyari’s office.
The hopes of the ‘throne’ admirers look buried on Tuesday evening with multiple sources insisting that Buhari had opted to replace late Kyari with Gambari, another trusted ally.
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