The power brokers in Jonathan Presidency

THERE are many definitions of politics. One of them is the art or science of determining who gets what, where and when. In any government, there are men and women who have the ears of the ruler and can influence allocation of resources, appointments, projects and day-to-day decisions of the administration. Such people are known as power brokers.

The power brokers in Jonathan’s Presidency

Under President Goodluck Jonathan, a number of men and women have clearly emerged as power brokers. Some of these personalities played crucial roles in getting President Jonathan elected and are wielding enormous powers of influence in the polity today.
Notable personalities of influence in Jonathan’s administration include First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Petroleum Minister, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke; Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Peter Obi of Anambra.
Others include Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; PDP’s acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal; Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim; Mr. Femi Otedola; and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi among others.
Patience Jonathan
From the outset, Dame Jonathan has remained a pillar of sorts to the President. She was in the thick and thin of the presidential campaigns. She crisscrossed all parts of the country, wooing the electorate for her husband. She has also remained very visible as First Lady. Unarguably, she is one of the greatest power brokers around Jonathan. Many who want patronage from government go through her. With her matrimonial bond to the President, she is said to have not only helped Jonathan at the home front, but also influenced some government decisions, especially appointments.
Mrs. Jonathan is said to have been the driving force in the decamping of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State from the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Her imprint is large in the politics of Abia State and it would not be surprising if her influence through her husband’s power expands to other neighbouring states, particularly Cross River State. She presently has very close relationships with Obioma, the wife of Governor Liyel Imoke.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo
Regarded as a loyal deputy, Namadi damned the consequences to work for the success of his joint presidential ticket with Jonathan at a time a section of the North where he hails from opposed Jonathan and wanted power to return to the North.
As a measure of his influence, President Jonathan recently dissolved the boards of statutory bodies such as agencies and parastatals, and appointed Sambo to head a committee of five to select new members for the more than 400 boards.
Other members of the powerful committee are Senate President David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, PDP acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, who is the secretary.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Arguably, Okonjo-Iweala is one of the most powerful female power brokers in government.
She is practically in-charge of President Jonathan’s economic agenda. Aside being the Finance and Co-ordinating minister of the economy, she heads the Economic Management Team, which has as members, business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru and two others.
Regarded as defacto prime minister, Okonjo-Iweal as heads a 15_member Economic Implementation Team.
Other new members of the economic team are Managing Director of Access bank, Mr. Aigboje Aig_Imoukhuede and the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kola Jamodu, Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison_Madueke; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adesina Akinwunmi; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen; Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu; Minister of State (Finance) Yerima Lawal Ngama and Minister of State (Health) Mohammed Ali Pate.
There are also Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Professor Nwanze Okidigbe; Special Adviser to the President on Monitoring and Evaluation, Professor Sylvester Monye; Director General, Budget Office, Bright Okogwu and the Director General Bureau of Public Enterprises, Bola Onogoruwa.
David Mark
Senator David Mark was said to have been a stabilizing factor in the difficult and teething days of the Jonathan presidency last year. Early in the week, he reportedly convinced his fellow senators against passing no confidence vote on President Jonathan over the rising wave of insecurity in the country occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency. Having been in the Senate since 1999, a record four terms, Mark is now Nigeria’s longest serving Senate President.
Willy_nilly as Senate President, Senator Mark has been shaping the character of the Jonathan administration through his consideration of the administration’s legislative proposals.
As chairman of the Senate committee on the whole, he has led the screening of the administration’s most prominent appointments, notably ministers. So far, Senator Mark, who has not blocked any nomination, is said to be highly regarded by the President, hence hie has been appointed into the committee of Famous Five.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Since 1999, Obasanjo has remained a major factor in Nigerian and Aso Rock politics. He played decisive roles in getting Jonathan nominated as running mate to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, his swearing as acting president when Yar’Adua became terminally ill and now as elected president. He backed Jonathan during the bitter debates on whether or not Jonathan should be elected because of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP zoning formula. Obasanjo play crucial roles in those appointed ministers especially from the South-West.
As the political godfather of the sitting President, Obasanjo would of course not be easily discountenanced even if his voting power was almost inconsequential to the President’s election victory. Jonathan, obviously, is not primed to go against his political benefactor yet.
Deziani Allison Madueke
The Petroleum minister is said to be one of those who calls the shots at the Presidency. She is one of the very few ministers who got reappointed into their portfolios after the May 29, 2011 inauguration. She is also a key player in the Economic Team led by Okonjo-Iweala. Allison-Madueke also played defining roles during the electioneering camapigns.


Sanusi Lamido
The controversial CBN governor has been known to dish out monetary promises that had kept the government, investors and the citizenry on their toes since he came on board two years ago.
Since his appoinment, he has remained a key player in Jonathan’s economic rejuvenation programme.
Rotimi Amaechi
The Rivers State governor, aside massing a lot of votes for Jonathan at the presidential polls, is a second term governor of one of the richest states in the country. He has now emerged as chairman of the Governors Forum and could rally the 36 state governors to buy into President Jonathan’s programmes and policies as exemplified by the governors’ initial opposition to the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
Femi Otedola
The business magnate has remained a great pillar and loyalist of President Jonathan. The president had travelled with him on most occasions since coming on board. The rapport between them is getting smoother and rubbing off on the policies of President Jonathan.
Dangote, Ibrahim
Unarguably, Aliko Dangote and Jimoh Ibrahim could pass for Nigeria’s leading business mogul now. The president met with them and other business leaders in Lagos shortly after his re-election to look at government’s business policies. Given their business empires and their rating in the business community, they are playing crucial roles in reshaping the economy.
Bukola Saraki
The out-gone chairman of the governors’ forum and now senator backed Jonathan ferociously at the polls after losing out in the preliminary battle for the PDP as a consensus Northern candidate. He had played key roles in the presidency through nomination of ministers and is still recognised and respected’ in the presidency.
Godswill Akpabio
The governor of one of Nigeria’s richest states was on the driving seat for the election of President Jonathan. He contributed a number of foot soldiers, who fanned out to get the job done. He is now a second term governor and hails from the President’s South_South geo_political zone. The current thinking, it was gathered, is that ‘the good music’ should play on and the outcome_ a major role for Akpabio in Jonathan’s government.
Peter Obi
Although he is of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Governor Obi is the chairman of the South_East governors forum and vice chairman of the NGF. He also alongside the Ohanaeze rallied the South_East and Ndigbo, to vote Jonathan at the last elections.
Oronto DouglasBarrister Oronto Douglas, renowned environmentalist, lawyer and civil activist is unarguably one of the President’s closest advisers. He did underground and open campaigns for Jonathan’s election last April.Since about 2004 when he crossed the Rubicon from activism towards public service he has consistently been near to offer advise to Dr. Jonathan.
Though he entered government as a commissioner for information and strategy under the Dipreye Alamieyeisia administration, he resigned when the later was impeached and though he was reportedly invited by Governor Jonathan to remain in office, he declined but remained very supportive of the Jonathan administration helping behind the scene.
He is playing a role in laying strategic blueprints and measuring key parameters that would define the Jonathan legacy.