2023 poll: APC upbraids Ngige over reluctance to endorse Tinubu presidential bid

The ruling All progressive congress (APC) has upbraided the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige over his reluctance to openly endorse the party’s presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka wondered why Ngige chose to play hide and seek when asked during a national Television programme (Politics today) on Friday if he would cast his ballot for Tinubu or Mr Peter Obi of the opposition Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 poll.

The APC spokesman said it behoves political appointees on the platform of the APC to either campaign publicly in support of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ticket or immediately resign their appointments from the party-led administration.

While describing Senator Ngige’s comments on a national TV programme as an anti-party activity, Ajaka said “presidential primary election had long ended and the party had settled for the choice of Senator 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 with 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 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.”

According to Ajaka, if such a trend is allowed to continue among the appointees and party leaders, it is capable of generating bad blood among APC rank and file.

While calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the cabinet members to order and obtain their commitments to delivering APC in 2023, Ajaka wondered that “With this type of public comment from a sitting minister in a ruling party who cannot declare on national television his choice of the presidential candidate, how on earth is the party expected to fare in the forthcoming presidential election?

During the Television programme, Ngige was quoted as saying the question of choosing between Tinubu and Peter Obi was difficult for him to respond to as the duo are his friends.

“My choice will be in the ballot box, on the day of the ballot I will make my choice. I won’t tell Nigerians what I will do secretly…”

Recalled that the Rivers state governor Nysome Wike had earlier alleged that some appointees of APC were working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.