The fact that several of Abacha's allies Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu and billionaire contractor Gilbert Chagoury are now close to Tinubu tells its own story say the activists...

They are: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Budget Minister) Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Defence Minister) Dave Umahi (Works Minister) Nyesom Wike (Federal Capital Territory Minister) Gboyega Oyetola (Minister of Marine and Blue Economy) Ibrahim Gaidam (Police Affairs Minister) and Bello Matawalle (Minister State for Defence)...

In its latest human rights report the United States government said: 'Tinubu appointed former Governor Abubakar Bagudu the Minister of Budget despite Bagudu's widely reported history of helping then-President Sani Abacha steal hundreds of millions of dollars from the government in the 1990s...

Tax billTo solve Nigeria's budget conundrum finance minister Wale Edun budget minister Atiku Bagudu and other key policymakers have their work cut out...

Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu is due to spell out the details early next month...

Among the most controversial is former Kebbi State governor Atiku Bagudu an ex-senator who was accused by the US Justice Department of being part of a group headed by former military leader General Sani Abacha that 'embezzled misappropriated and extorted billions from the government of Nigeria'...

Minister of State for Education Yusuf Tanko Sununu – a little-known gynaecologist from Kebbi State – got a spot thanks to Atiku Bagudu; Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory Mairiya Mahmud got one thanks to former Kano State governor and newly-anointed APC party chairman Abdullahi Ganduje; and Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Doris Uzoka-Anite secured a ministerial slot thanks to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma her former boss (we hear Tinubu was rebuffed by former Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority head Uche Orji and other heavyweights he approached)...

PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU'S 46-PERSON MINISTERIAL TEAM Post – name (state age profession) SKILL-BRINGERS (7) Communications – Olatunbosun Tijani (Ogun 46 tech entrepreneur) Education – Tahir Mamman (Adamawa 69 academic administrator) Finance – Wale Edun (Ogun 61 banker) Foreign Affairs – Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi 56 politician/diplomat/oil executive) Health – Muhammed Ali Pate (Bauchi 54 medicine/public health) Health (deputy) – Tunji Alausa (Lagos 56 medicine) Housing – Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (Katsina 60 banker/construction executive) THE EX-GOVERNORS (9) Budget – Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi 61 ex-governor) Defence – Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa 60 ex-governor) Defence (deputy) – Bello Matawalle (Zamfara 61 ex-governor) Federal Capital Territory – Nyesom Wike (Rivers 55 ex-governor) Labour and Employment – Simon Lalong (Plateau 60 ex-governor) Marine and Blue Economy – Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun 68 ex-governor) Petroleum Resources – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Police Affairs – Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe 66 ex-governor) Works – David Umahi (Ebonyi 60 ex-governor) ALLIES AND CRONIES (19) Agriculture and Food Security – Abubakar Kyari (Borno 60 career politician) Agriculture and Food Security (deputy) – Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger 56 politician) Art Culture and the Creative Economy – Hannatu Musawa (Katsina 43 lawyer) Aviation – Festus Keyamo (Delta 53 lawyer) Housing (deputy) – Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo (Kano 62 career politician) Information – Mohammed Idris 'Malagi' (Niger 57 newspaper editor) Innovation Science and Technology – Uche Nnaji (Enugu 60 business/politician) Attorney General and Justice – Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara 64 lawyer) Niger Delta – Abubakar Momoh (Edo 62 career politician) Petroleum/Oil (deputy) – Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa 56 career politician) Power – Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo 52 banker) Solid Minerals – Dele Alake (Ekiti 66 journalist) Special Duties – Zephaniah Jisalo (FCT 53 career politician) Sports – John Owan Enoh (Cross River 57 career politician) Steel Development – Shuaibu Abubakar Audu (Kogi 42 banker) Steel Development (deputy) – Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Taraba 57 career politician) Transportation – Sa'idu Ahmed Alkali (Gombe 54 career politician) Water Resources (deputy) – Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto 58 career politician) Women's Affairs – Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Anambra 50 business) THE SPONSORED (11) Education (deputy) – Yusuf Tanko Sununu (Kebbi 56 medicine) Environment (deputy) – Ishak Salako (Ogun 64 medicine) Federal Capital Territory (deputy) – Mairiya Mahmud (Kano 47 medicine) Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation – Betta Edu (Cross River 36 politician) Industry Trade and Investment – Doris Uzoka-Anite (Imo 42 finance) Interior – Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo 41 business/politician) Labour and Employment (deputy) – Nkiru Onyejeocha (Abia 54 career politician) Petroleum/Gas (deputy) – Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom ~50 career politician) Police Affairs (deputy) – Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Nasarawa 43 business/civil service) Tourism – Lola Ade-John (Lagos 60 consultant) Water Resources – Joseph Utsev (Benue 43 administrator) * President Tinubu will name at least one more minister because he has yet to nominate a minister from Kaduna State (Nigeria's constitution requires that the President nominate at least one minister from each state)...

They include another four state governors: Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi Adegboyega of Osun Simon Lalong of Plateau and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state...

Others high profile casualties include Governors Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) Darius Ishaku (Taraba) Samuel Ortom (Benue) Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) who lost their bids to represent their senatorial districts in the National Assembly...

The organisation representing APC governors and the committee that arranged the party's primary are both headed by the governor of Kebbi State Abubakar Atiku Bagudu...

Osinbajo met with several state governors on the evening of 10 April including Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) Nasir el Rufai (Kaduna) Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo) to break the fast...