President Muhammadu Buhari has asked all members of his cabinet seeking elective office to resign on or before May 16.
Tolu Ogunlesi, an aide to the president, disclosed this in a tweet on Wednesday.
“Just in: All members of President Buhari’s cabinet vying for public office will have to resign on or before May 16, 2022,” he tweeted.
Rotimi Amaechi, transportation minister; Ogbonnaya Onu, science and technology minister; Godswill Akpabio, Niger Delta affairs minister, and Chris Ngige, labour minister, have all declared their intention to run for president.
Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and justice minister, is seeking Kebbi governorship seat.
Pauline Tallen, minister of women affairs, is seeking a senatorial seat; Uche Ogar, minister of state for mines and steel, is pursuing a governorship bid.
Buhari’s directive is coming on the heels of the contentious section 84(12) of the electoral act.
The section provides that: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
