The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has been dared to either campaign publicly for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu or immediately resign his appointment.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, stated this while reacting to Ngige’s failure to publicly affirm his choice between Tinubu and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP), on a national television programme (Politics today) on Friday evening.
Ngige said such a question is difficult to answer because Tinubu and Obi are his friends.
He said, “My choice will be in the ballot box. On the day of ballot, I will make my choice. I won’t tell Nigerians what I will do secretly”.
Recall that the Rivers State governor Nysome Wike had earlier alleged that some appointees of APC were working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Reacting to Ngige’s comments, through a statement, Ajaka described such comments from a sitting Minister in a government of the ruling party as “uncalled for.”
The APC chieftain described Ngige‘s comments on a national TV programme as anti-party and warned against playing hide and seek about his political standing
Ajaka said; “presidential primary election had long ended and the party had settled for the choice of Senator Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hence all the party leaders should put their ambitions behind them for now to deliver the party’s presidential ticket.
“It is expected of a serving Minister in an APC government to be a trusted apostle of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency in 2023, who along other party leaders laboured to ensure the enthroment of the same government in 2015 which they are now serving in.
“Chief Ngige and other APC appointees, especially in the federal cabinet should not forget in a hurry that they are holding onto the party’s mandate, hence the need to protect it with whatever it requires, but if they can no longer protect the interest of the APC in public and that of our presidential candidate (Tinubu), I think the honourable thing to do is to step aside from the government formed by the APC.”
