The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said he will not resign despite the new guidelines released by the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC).
APC had stipulated 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.
However, Ngige who is one of the presidential aspirants of the APC, denied knowledge of any order emanating from the ruling party ordering political appointees interested in contesting elections next year to resign their appointments.
According to the minister, his decision is in line with the 1999 constitution as amended, noting that the March 18th judgment of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, struck out section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, hence he is under no compulsion to resign his appointment.
Ngige said: “I have not seen that pronouncement from the party. I have not seen any release from the party. It has not been conveyed to me or to anybody.
“I’m an aspirant, I’m a presidential aspirant. So I will find out and if it is true, I would then know what to do.
“That aspect of the law enacted by the National Assembly, via the Electoral Act, that Section 84 (12) has been struck down by a court of law and the cases are on appeal.
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“And for now, no matter how bad the judgement is, that is the maximum jurisprudence, no matter how bad the law is, it is a judgement of court, it should be obeyed, until upturned or stayed.
“But there is no stay, there is no atonement of that particular pronouncement, and the party is on appeal. So the judgement is still subsisting, that aspect of the law was injurious to some persons and should not have been there.
“I also know that the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria in certain sections, Section 107, 137 and 88, prescribes disqualification clauses for people who are going for election and that prescription is supreme, because it is in the constitution and the constitution is grand norm of all laws.”
Reacting to the condemnation that has trailed the N100 million fee for the form, the former Anambra governor said: “Well, that is the people’s views. I had said earlier that I made a budget for N50 million, and is now N100 million.
“So I have discussed with my supporters and they are raising the money to augment whatever is before now.’
“So when they finish augmentation, I believe that we will get up to N100 million so that we can purchase our form,” Ngige said.
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