Facts have emerged about how President Muhammadu Buhari disappointed South-East Governors who reportedly supported his re-election on the understanding that he would allow them to nominate some members of his new cabinet.

The governors – all members of the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – “felt disappointed over the non-inclusion of their ministerial nominees submitted to the president on the list sent to the Senate last week,” according to a THISDAY report.

“As part of their political deals with Buhari-led APC during the last presidential election, some state governors of South-east: Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and David Umahi (Ebonyi), were said to have submitted some names to the president for consideration as ministers,” the report said.

The report published earlier today quoted an unnamed Presidency source as saying that the governors predicated their decisions on the need for the President to form a “government of national unity”, taking into consideration the seemingly resentment against Buhari in the geo-political zone.

“However, sensing the dangerous political implications of the PDP governors’ moves, some leaders of APC, led by the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, were said to have told the president that assenting to the PDP governors’ requests would amount to undermining the ruling party in the South-east,” the report said.

“Few days before the release of the ministerial nominees by President Muhammadu Buhari, some PDP governors from the South-east put so much pressure on the president to accept the names they submitted for ministerial appointment.

“But we told our leaders and the president that accepting the names would amount to finally killing our party in the South-east geopolitical zone. It would have been impossible to rationalise the decision and explain to APC leaders in the zone, who took the risk of campaigning for us during the last general election,” the source reportedly told THISDAY in Abuja.

The report quoted a senior official of PDP as saying that the party’s leadership was aware of the failed moves by the governors, but stated that their actions did not have the support of the party.

“We are aware of the shameful act by some of South-east governors; but they are on their own. Our party is still in court contesting the fraudulent so-called victory of President Buhari and APC at the Presidential Election Tribunal. And we are sure of retrieving our victory,” the PDP chieftain, who pleaded anonymity, reportedly stated.

It said that the PDP bigwig spoke on how the same governors almost frustrated the PDP presidential campaign in the zone during the last general election.

His words: “You remember it took us time to fix the South-east presidential zonal rally; none of the South-east governors was ready to host the rally. For example, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State told us specifically he would not host.

“It was when they discovered that their people were hugely against their move to strike a deal with APC that they quickly made a U-turn, pretending to be supporting our candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

“They were not happy that Atiku Abubakar nominated Peter Obi as his running mate. And all efforts by our presidential candidate and the leaders of the party to pacify them failed.”

THISDAY noted that “against the PDP governors’ plan, Buhari last week nominated Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah (Abia); Dr. Chris Ngige (Anambra); Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi); Dr. Geoffrey Oyeannma (Enugu) and Dr. Emeka Nwajuba (Imo) as ministerial nominees from the South-east.”

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