Sylva Does The Expected, Drops Presidential Ambition, Returns To Work; Pauline Tallen Too

By Gideon Njoku

Nobody in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was surprised when on the final day President Muhammadu Buhari, asked all his appointees aspiring to elective offices against 2023 to quit, they saw their Minister back to work at his desk.

Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State, Petroleum, had surprisingly picked the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to run for the Presidential seat, and replace Buhari in 2023.

Not many people took him seriously for obvious reasons. The former Governor of Bayelsa State, aside being a good Party man, and President Buhari’s Deputy in the Petroleum Industry, did not quite fit the bill. They felt he neither had the clout nor the reach.

On May 9, 2022, Sylva revealed, standing before a crowd in the premises of the Ministry, that the Northern Solidarity Group purchased the forms for him to take part in  his party’s 2023 presidential primaries.

Not a few people knew the game was up for Sylva and a couple of other Ministers when Buhari gave them a deadline – May 16 – to quit office. One by one, they began to drop their ambition. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN who wanted to be Governor in his State, Kebbi.

Today, May 16, 2022,  Sylva went back to his job. And so did the Minister for Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, who was aspiring to be a Senator  from Plateau State where she had been a Deputy Governor.

A Petroleum   Ministry official who, some people insist, spoke with Sylva’s permission, but who pleaded anonymity, said:

“He (Sylva) promised to consult the leader of the country and his political leaders the day he was presented with the form.

“He believes that concentrating on his work will attract more investments for the oil and gas sector.

“He has consulted and he believes that the challenges at the ministry and oil and gas sector are enough issues for him to begin to deal with now than going to pursue presidential ambition at the expense of the nation.

“The oil and gas sector is the mainstay of the economy and it is not like any other ministry somebody can just come in and take over.

“It requires some measures of time for the person to understand what is happening in the system.

“For the interest of the industry and the nation, he has decided to wave that personal ambition to see what he can contribute in the remaining part of President Buhari’s administration.

“The implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 is very critical and he wants to continue to make his own contribution to the day-to-day running of the country and support Mr. President for robust achievements.”

However, many people hardly believe this argument. They simply say that for Sylva, “a bird in hand is better than a million in the bush.”