Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to his cabinet members seeking elective offices in 2023 to step down, no fewer than four ministers have reportedly resigned.
President Buhari had issued the directive while presiding over the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This order, however, excludes the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, because he is an elected member of the cabinet.
Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nawijuba, was the first to throw in the towel.
Nwajiuba, who is seeking to run for president on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), resigned from office in Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed the minister’s resignation.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has followed suit.
In a statement by his media aide, Jackson Udom, Akpabio said “Our attention has been drawn to mischievously written news stories making the rounds by paid agents of some politicians, that the leading presidential aspirant, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has purportedly withdrawn from the presidential race. This is a joke carried too far.
“This is certainly the handiwork of those who are scared of contesting against Senator Godswill Akpabio.
“Senator Akpabio has resigned his appointment as Minister, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry and will soon submit his nomination form at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, in line with his party’s guidelines.
“For those behind this lies and falsehood, we advise that they should learn to live with the reality, that Senator Akpabio is fully in the race, not only for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket but to emerge the next democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, is reported to have resigned too.
According to sources in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the minister has already dropped his resignation letter.
Onu had on May 6, 2022, declared for the presidency under the ruling All Progressives Congress.
His counterpart in the Ministry of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has also quit his appointment.
This was confirmed in a tweet by APC Twitter UK.
It wrote, “Nigeria’s Minister of #Transportation, HM Chibuike R. Amaechi [@ChibuikeAmaechi] has resigned from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to focus on his Presidential Campaign.
“Thank you for your service to Nigeria.”
Amaechi joins about 20 other aspirants who are also vying for the Presidential ticket of the APC.
However, five out of the nine ministers who indicated their interest in the 2023 election are yet to adhere to the president’s orders.
They include Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; State, Mines and Steel Development, Uche Oga; Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
