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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to warn ministers and other appointees of his government to cease negative campaigns against the party's presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Why this is important: This warning is contained in a statement issued by the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Murtala Ajaka, The Punch reports.
The ruling party warned public office-holders on the platform of the APC to either support Tinubu's ticket or resign their appointments from the party-led administration.
Ajaka's outburst was a response to a recent public display of indifference towards Tinubu's presidential bid by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
Ngige refused to endorse Tinubu: While appearing as a guest on a late-night program on Channels Television, Politics Today, the minister sounded unconvincing when asked if he would prefer endorsing his party's candidate or his fellow kinsman and Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Ngige cleverly maneuvered the question by declaring that he was no longer in active politics and would rather pick his choice at the ballot.
Ngige's word: “I’m not active in politics for now because I am facing national assignment,” he said, when asked his preferred candidate between the APC’s Tinubu and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
“Both of them are my friends. My choice will be in the ballot box. It is a secret ballot. I shouldn’t tell Nigerians what I would do secretly.”
APC reacts: Reacting to the development, the APC image-maker said the minister's action was unbecoming of a sitting appointee in a government of the ruling party.
He expressed concerns that such uncommitted statement from one of their ministers could generate ill-feeling among the upper echelons of the party.
Ajaka, therefore, called on the president to caution his cabinet members and obtain their commitments to deliver victory for the APC in 2023.
Ajak's statement partly read: “The presidential primary election had long ended and the party had settled for the choice of Senator Asiwaju Bola 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 Tinubu’s presidency in 2023, who along other party leaders, laboured to ensure the enthronement 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 the 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.”