Following news on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 of President Buhari’s speculated appointment of Ohimai Amaize as his Special Assistant on New Media, President Buhari is reportedly considering scrapping the office.
Inside sources confirmed to The Trent on Wednesday that the plan to appoint Ohimai Amaize, a two time ministerial aide at the Ministries of Defence, Sports, Foreign Affairs and Youth Development was prematurely leaked by handlers at the Villa, a situation the President is said to have been embarrassed and concerned about, considering the ensuing social media tumult the said leak generated.
“Ohimai was on the preferred list considering his profile but the President is not happy with how the news got into the social media and the noise it generated even before the appointment was announced”, a Villa source told The Trent.
President Buhari, The Trent gathered, may eventually scrap the office of SA to the President on New Media as the Nigerian social media space “is too volatile and immature for the day to day operations of a Buhari presidency”, the source disclosed.
According to the source, Chude Jideonwo’s Red Media and StateCraft – the consultants to the APC presidential campaign may be retained by Buhari to continue managing the Villa’s social media communication instead of an official appointment for the job.
“We don’t know if the President will change his mind and still confirm the appointment or if he has other plans. But it is likely he may retain the consultants who worked on the campaign”, the source told The Trent.
Meanwhile, The Trent gathered that Ohimai has been under pressure from within the PDP caucus to decline the appointment as news of the appointment filtered into Twitter on Wednesday.
Although Ohimai took to his Twitter page on Wednesday to disclaim the reports of the rumored appointment, saying he has not received any official communication yet, sources say he had been unofficially contacted by the Presidency.
I have been receiving calls, mails and texts from family and friends over rumours of my appointment as SA New Media to President Buhari. 1/4
— Ohimai Amaize (@MrFixNigeria) June 24, 2015
As at this time, I have not received any official communication concerning the speculated appointment. 2/4
— Ohimai Amaize (@MrFixNigeria) June 24, 2015
On whether he was planning to reject the appointment, Ohimai declined comments to our reporter who contacted him Wednesday. “May the will of God be done”, he said.
