By Suleima Umaru
More facts have emerged why President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Political ambitious ministers in his Cabinet to resign between now and Monday 16, 2022, or get sacked. . This is because of their pursuit for elective positions at Federal and state levels which have given them little or no time to effectively supervise their ministries, thus giving room for some lapses.
The Katsina state born Nigerian President may have asked the ministers to go barely 13 months to the expiration of his second term in office which had put some of the ministers gunning into elective offices into total confusion as it came too them like a thunder bolt.
The Nigerian President had travelled to Abidjan, capital of Cote de’ Ivoire, on Sunday, May 8, 2022, to participate in the Conference of Parties, COP, (CoP15) organised by the United Nations, UN, on ‘’the future of the Land, regarding desertification, drought, degradation, rights, restoration, and implications for national and global economies’’. He had travelled without given any minister or ant top government official the impression that there was trouble ahead. He had returned to the country on Tuesday, May 10 2022, with a surprise package for Nigerians.
Many believe that if the ministers who were said to have been affected by the President’s sweeping order to resign had known that it would turn out to be so, they may not have dared to seek his advice and support to contest the 2023 general elections at the highest level of government at Federal or state levels or to contest for the Senatorial Seat.
The Nigerian President was said to have given the nod to any of the ministers that had approached him for guidance and support to contest the 2023 general elections the Federal level and State levels. This may have encouraged the six ministers, particular, who were gunning for the office of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the ticket of the APC, to pay the N100 million fee to purchase the Expression of Interest and nominations form to contest the 2023 general elections.
There is no gain saying the fact that the Nigerian President and Senator Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman, APC, National Working Committee, NWC, may have known that there is no way the money that had been paid by the ministers to buy the APC, Presidential, governorship and Senatorial eat forms, would be refunded back to the aspirants that he President had dropped the bomb shell that the political ambitious ministers to resign or get sacked.
Until he travelled for the UN Conference, there have been pressures on him from several quarters to sack Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and minister of Transportation, who was conferred with the title of Dan AAmanar Daura, meaning the trustworthy son of Daura, by Umar Faruq, Emir of Daura, last February, Chris Ngige, minister of Labor and Employment, Ogbonnaya Onu, minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Sylva Temipre, former governor of Bayelsa state minister of State, Petroleum Resource, and Godswell Akpabio , a former governor of south-south state of Akwa Ibom and minister of Niger Delta.
The list of other ministers that were said to have been demanded by a cross section of Nigerians that should be sacked by the President include Abubakar Malami, minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, who is vying to be the next governor of Kebbi state, Emeka Nwajiuba, minister of state, Education, who has Presidential ambition when the nation’s educational sector is on fire. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, are on strike and Nigerian students are home, since February, 2022, putting their education future on hold, Uche Ogar, minister of state Mines and Steel, and Paulen Tallen a one- time deputy governor of Plateau state and minister of Women Affairs who had declared her ambition to contest for a Senatorial Seat in the north central state.
The Nigerian President may have kept the decision to force the nine ministers who have interest on elective positions to resign a closely guided secret to avoid given room for lobby. It was a matter of time for him to order the ministers to resign. The Opportunity came on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, during the Federal Executive Council, FEC, and meeting, chaired by the President himself. It was like a dream to the affected ministers when the words started rolling ministers out from his mouth urging those political ambitious ministers to resign in order to give enough time to their new vocation.
Political Observers believe that by asking the top flight ministers, particular, Amaechi, Malami and Akabio, who had seen themselves as untouchable, because of their closeness to the President, to resign may have broken their wings and whittled down their influence in APC, in their respective states chapter.
Nwajiuba, minister of state, Education, may have ready the hand wring on the wall that if he and the other ministers ordered to resign on or before May 16, 2022, fail to do so, Buhari may take the extreme action of sacking tem which may too good for their political career.
; It was not surprising that barely 24 hours after Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and culture broke the sad news to the affected ministers who have declared their Presidential, governorship and Senatorial inteambition to resign, Nwajiuba, the minister of state, Education, who has Presidential ambition, submited his letter of resignation to the President. That much was confirmed by Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.
Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture may have sent a message to the Political appointees like Emefiele, CBN Governor, who has picked the APC, Presidential nomination Forms that was said to have been purchased for him by a shadowy group, Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, who was said to have had paid t N50 million to purchase the party governorship Forms in Kaduna state, and other Public servants who are gunning for elective offices in the 2023, general elections, that what had happened to the ministers who were asked to go may also be extended to them, meaning that they would also be asked to go. This is bad news for Emefiele who had expected to contest the 2023 general elections without resigning his position as CBN, governor.
Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy governor of CBN, and a Presidential aspirant of African Democratic Congress, ADC, had repeatedly said that that by declaring for president as CBN governor, will ‘’erode investor’s confidence in the apex Bank” which was enough reason for Buhari to sack him without a second thought.
