JUST IN: Osinbajo’s aide relocated out of Presidential Villa …TraderMoni, others moved to New Ministry

The raging power tussle for the Presidency in 2023 may have again led to the relocation of some aides of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo out of the Presidential Villa.

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According to a report by Daily Sun, one of the affected aides confirmed the relocation and added that “our office will now be in town. The VP’s aides are moving out; our office is no longer in the Villa.”

LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT

In addition to Osinbajo’s aides operating out of the Villa, the Vice President may no longer be in charge of the Social Investment Programmes (SIP) of the Federal Government.

LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT

“The Tradermoni and other SIPs will now be handled by the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs,” another aide confirmed.

The newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, is headed by Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq, seen as a very close ally of the Presidency cabal.

Daily Sun also reportedly gathered from Presidency sources in Abuja, yesterday, that, in the President’s first term, when Osinbajo was Acting President, “he stepped on some powerful toes and it is payback time.”

Asked why Osinbajo no longer heads the economic team, the source replied: “Although he is constitutionally empowered to head the economic team or economic advisory team, by whatever name you choose to call it, setting up a new team that would be answerable to the President means that those against him are now ready to strike and in full force. There is a cold war in Abuja and the hawks have launched their strike. It is all about the 2023 presidential election. Remember what happened to a former Vice President in the past?”

When contacted and asked if being removed from the economic team did not mean that Osinbajo was caught in the vortex of an intense power play in the Presidency, Senior Technical Assistant on Media in the Vice President’s Office, Louis Odion, replied: “You are entitled to your opinion. It’s your perception. The vice president has always been loyal and has always been a hardworking deputy to the president. That will never change.”

Also asked about the proposed movement of Osinbajo’s aides out of the Villa, Odion, he said: “I just came in. I need to seek information on that and I will bet back to you.”

He did not. As at press time, last night, he neither answered his call nor did replied text messages.