There are speculations that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may disqualify the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige; Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, from contesting in the party’s presidential primaries slated for May 30 and June 1, 2022.
The three ministers who are running for the presidency on the platform of the party are yet to comply with the provisions of the party’s new guidelines for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections by resigning their positions as ministers three days before the deadline.
There are also reports that the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, (SAN), is equally warming up to contest the Kebbi State governorship poll on the APC platform.
The APC’s new guidelines for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 elections provide that all political appointees who aspire to participate in its primary elections at all levels must resign at least 30 days before the conduct of the primaries.
Sequel to this, Amaechi, Ngige, Nwajiuba and other political appointees running for various offices on the platform of the ruling party are left with just three days to resign or risk disqualification.
The APC new guidelines read in part: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for the purpose of the nomination of candidates.
“Any political office holder interested in contesting for an elective office shall leave office 30 days prior to the date of election of party primary for the office sought. Violation of any of these guidelines shall attract automatic disqualification.”
Similarly, Section 84 (12) of the new Electoral Act directs all political appointees seeking elective office to resign ahead of any party primary they plan to participate in.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, had said the party would ensure that all political appointees willing to contest election on the platform of the party resigned in line with the provisions of the new Electoral Act.
The APC National Executive Committee (NEC) had approved N30m for the expression of interest form and N70m for the nomination form amounting to N100m for presidential aspirants on its platform.
Meanwhile, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Tuesday, bought his expression of interest and nomination forms for N100m and became the second presidential aspirant to obtain the forms at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja after Governor Yahaya Bello, of Kogi State.
Receiving his nomination form, Nwajiuba said he would likely turn up his resignation as Minister to contest the 2023 presidential elections within 30 days to the election.
However, Chris Ngige, while fielding questions from State House reporters on Wednesday, said he had not been informed by the leadership of the party to resign, noting that he would be guided by the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
