by Stanley Azuakola

What President Jonathan joined together, reports have emerged that the security vote is trying to put asunder. The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Administration, Senator Bala Mohammed and minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, are reportedly on a collision course over the security vote allocated to that ministry.

Of course, the report is being denied by officials from the two camps but the evidence seems like there truly is something wrong in their working relationship.

First, Akinjide was absent at the conferment of national honour on Senator Bala Mohammed. Then she also skipped the three-day Good Governance Tour of the FCT Administration.

Read the Vanguard investigation below:

The tension between both ministers may be connected with the manner the senior minister managed FCT’s security vote without involving the junior minister. Insider speaks

A source in FCTA told Vanguard that the junior minister was not in the picture of the administration’s security vote.

The source, who sought anonymity, said: “Akinjide is not happy with the way things are done here. She has even threatened to petition the Presidency if the situation persist.

“On one occasion, she argued that all ministers are members of the Federal Executive Council and the dichotomy between the senior and junior ministers are mere creation of the media.”

Specifically, some of the staff working under the minister of State have expressed displeasure over the silent face-off between Senator Bala and Oloye Akinjide, saying “when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

One of the staff, who does not want his name in print, said: “To be frank with you, I am not comfortable with the recent face-off between the two ministers. Most of you will not know what some of us have suffered in the past.

“Not too long ago, similar scenario played out during Dr. Aliyu Umar and Sen. John Akpanudoedehe. During that period of in-house fighting between them, our entire land request was KIV (Keep in View) by Modibbo, while our colleagues working with the minister got approval.

“A similar thing occurred during the era of Sen. Adamu Aliero and Mr. Chuka Udom. We are dying in silence because when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

‘There’s no fight’ However, special assistant to the Minister on Media, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi, dismissed insinuations of a rift between both ministers, describing the relationship between them as normal.

Ogbuenyi said: “She travelled out of the country with the minister of National Planning during the Good Governance Tour of the FCT to negotiate business investment for the development of Area Councils and satellite towns. “There is no quarrel anywhere. The two of them are working harmoniously for the development of FCT.”

Meanwhile, some of the participants at the Good Governance Tour of the FCT, who spoke to Vanguard, claimed that the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, was part of the tour, describing the foreign trip as figment of Ogbuenyi’s imagination.