The reasons why Maryam Shetty who was a minister nominee was replaced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have been unravelled.
Intrigues On The Choice of Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure Over Maryam Shetty As A Minister
NewStori understands that some hours into the screening exercise of the ministers on Friday by the Senate, Shetty’s name was replaced with Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure in her stead.
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Bunkure is a former Commissioner for Higher Education in Kano State under the newly appointed APC Chairman, Umar Ganduje and her name was added alongside two other nominees in the list sent to the lawmakers by the president.
There are indications that the removal of Shetty as ministerial nominee is because of power-play within the ruling party.
Real Reasons Why Maryam Shetty Was Replaced
According to sources reported by Daily Trust, the former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, who is now the National Chairman of the APC nominated Bunkure, his former commissioner to replace Shetty.
It was noted by Ganduje’s associates who spoke with the platform saying that power play led to the swapping of Shetty with Bunkure.
Also, she was reportedly swapped because she does not belong to the political family of the former governor and had been a critic of the former governor and also because she was based in Abuja though from Kano State and Bunkure was seen more as one of their own in her stead.
Bunkure was suspected to have been “smuggled” into the list by a senior member of the presidency and when the APC Chairman understood that the slot Shetty was nominated from should be his, he opted to bringing a replacement.
The other nominee from the state, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, is also Tinubu’s associate from their days in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) so the choice of swapping was also deemed necessary.
When Ganduje was informed that the president had been ‘misled’ in nominating Shetty, he started the process of “righting the wrongs,” his associates said.
Another source pointed out that when the president was surprised that the nomination of Shetty did not come from Ganduje.
The source said, “The people that nominated her showed a picture she took with the former Kano governor to the president to make it look like she was in his group”.
It was also to communicate that the national chairman has the hearing ears of the president, and it is a warning to whoever smuggled her name into the list.
Other Reasons Why Shetty Was Swapped
Sources close to Shetty said that aside that she was reportedly nominated by the chief of staff to the president, another reason Ganduje sought and secured her replacement was that she had been vocal in the past against some of his policies when he held sway as governor, including the controversial deposition of former Emir Muhammadu Sanusi.
One of her associates in Kano said, “Perhaps the insinuation that she was nominated by the chief of staff gained momentum because Shetty is Abuja-based although she is from Kano. This might be the reason the Kano APC family was not happy with her nomination.
Another reason is that she is close with former Emir Muhammadu Sanusi and she was very vocal against his removal. You know she is very popular on social media, where she champions several causes, including women’s rights.
How Maryam Shetty Reacted to the News of Her Withdrawal
In a post on her verified Facebook page on Saturday, she said the nomination brought her immense honour as it represented a significant stride “towards a more inclusive national representation,” especially coming from a conservative region like northern Nigeria.
In the post titled “My Journey of Nomination, Withdrawal, and Hope: A Personal Account, she said,
The sheer joy and pride I felt at my nomination were beyond words. It was a validation of my capabilities, a nod to my vision, and a sign that our great nation was ready to embrace a future where young women like me, even from the most traditional parts of Nigeria, can hold positions of influence and power.
To some, this could seem like a setback, but my faith as a devout Muslim guided my understanding. I saw it as the divine will of Allah, who I believe grants power as He wishes when He wishes. His plans are always superior to ours,” she said.
