Why Buhari Ordered Ministers To Resign

The order by President Muhammadu Buhari to all political appointees and notably ministers in the government eyeing elective positions in 2023 general elections to resign did not come as a surprise to many.

President Buhari at the Wednesday meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC ordered all Ministers with political ambitions to resign their appointments on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.

The decision of some ministers in Buhari’s government to remain in office despite the declaration by such a person to contest the 2023 presidential and governorship elections has been a subject of discussion in the past weeks.

Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act which ironically was struck down on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 had stipulated that political appointees, including ministers/commissioners and special advisers, should quit to be eligible to participate either as delegates or contestants at the convention of their political parties.

As a result several groups had been prevailing on President Buhari to sack those ministers  who have interest to contest the 2023 general elections in compliance to the provision of the amended electoral act.

 Those affected are Ministers of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, all of whom have joined the presidential race on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Others are the Justice and Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami; Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogar, who is running for governorship position in Cross Rivers State; Minister of Women Affairs, Paulline Tallen, who declared her ambition to contest for a senatorial seat in Plateau State.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, gave a hint on the fate of such ministers when he spoke to journalists a few weeks ago.

According to him APC would ensure that all political appointees in APC wishing to contest the 2023 elections comply with Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act as it was.

With that assurance, several people had been waiting to see what the decision of the president would be on the matter. With less than three weeks to the presidential primaries, President Buhari would not want to portray himself as disobedient to the provision of the electoral act. 

Therefore the order for such ministers, special advisers and other political appointees to resign before becomes imperative. Also allowing such ministers to contest the election while still in the cabinet may damage the party’s reputation or affect the  electoral fortune of the party in the forthcoming general election.

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