2023: Quit now or identify publicly with Tinubu, APC national officer tells Ngige, other appointees

For his perceived ambivalence towards the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has been asked to publicly declare support for Tinubu or be sacked.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, who made assertion on Saturday, warned  appointees on the platform of the party to toe the path of honour by immediately resigning or affirming Tinubu’s candidature.

“‘APC political appointees should not to play a hide and seek game over presidential candidate of the party.

“They either campaign publicly in support of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ticket or immediately resign their appointments from the party-led administration,” he said while reacting to comments made on a Channels TV programme, “Politics today”, on Friday evening by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

Persecondnews recalls that Ngige was non-committal on his choice of presidential candidate between Tinubu and Peter Obi of Labour party (LP) in an answer to a question by the presenter/anchor, Seun Okinbaloye.

On who to support,  Ngige said such a question is difficult to answer because both Tinubu and Peter Obi are his friends.

“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,” the former Anambra governor, who handed over Obi as governor.

Rivers Governor Nysome Wike had also alleged that some appointees of APC were working for the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

But the APC Deputy spokesman described such non-committal statement from a sitting Minister in a government of the ruling party as “uncalled for.”

Describing Ngige’s comments as an anti-party activity, Ajaka said presidential primary election had long ended and the party had settled for 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 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,” he said.

Ajaka called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the cabinet members to order and obtain their commitments to delivering APC in 2023.

He wondered: “With this type of public comment from a sitting minister in a ruling party who cannot declare on national television his choice of presidential candidate, how on earth is the party expected to fare in the forthcoming presidential election?”