President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered ministers who have declared their intention to run for the presidency in 2023 to resign from their various offices with immediate effect.
The president gave the order during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Wednesday 11 of May when according to report by The Nation he was quoted to have said at the meeting: “I expect other members of this council seeking to be President to resign with immediate effect.”
However, the president said this order does not affect Emeka Nwajiuba, the minister of state for education, who had dropped his ambition in order to avoid conflict of interests.
Other ministers seeking to be governors, senators, and House of Representatives members are still trying to seek clarifications if they were affected.
A source in the cabinet said; “We were not clear if this directive will affect other ministers aspiring to be governors, Senators, and House of Representatives members. We are expecting more clarifications soon.”
Leadership gave the names of affected ministers as follows: Ministers of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. Others are Minister of State Mines and Steel, Uche Ogar, who is running for the governorship position in Cross Rivers State, and the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, who declared her ambition to contest for a senatorial seat in Plateau State.
The disclosure was made by the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during a press briefing after the FEC meeting.
