Barely hours after President Muhammadu Buhari directed appointees who are nursing political ambitions for the 2023 general elections to vacate their seats, Emeka Nwajiuba has tendered his resignation from the position of the Minister of State for Education.
Nwajiuba, who had obtained the N100m nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said his resignation is to focus on his presidential ambitions.
His resignation was announced during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, where Buhari issued the order to his political appointees.
The President had said the move is to avoid litigations that might jeopardize the chances of APC candidates in the forthcoming elections. The directive is not unconnected to the provisions of the Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act which provides that, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
With Nwajiuba making the first move, other ministers like Ministers of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya, who have all joined the presidential race on the platform of APC are expected to follow suit on or before Monday the 16th of May, 2022.
Others are Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is seeking to contest the governorship position in Kebbi State, Minister of State, Mines and Steel, Uche Ogar, who is running for the governorship position in Abia State, and the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, who has declared her ambition to contest for Senatorial seat in Plateau State.
