The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday in Abuja, said a significant number of the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council have been sufficiently equipped to aspire to higher elective offices, including the office of the President.

The President said this at a valedictory session for 10 of his cabinet members who are vying for various electoral offices in next year’s general elections, according to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The statement was titled, ‘President Buhari to outgoing FEC members: Significant number of you sufficiently equipped to be my successor.’

Buhari had at the tail end of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting, ordered all members of his cabinet who are aspiring to various electoral offices to resign on or before Monday.

Buhari’s cabinet members seeking to contest in the 2023 general elections include the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.

Others are the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogah; the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen; and the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Tayo Alasoadura and the Minister of State (Education), Emeka Nwajiuba.

At the valedictory session, all, but Nwajiuba, who had earlier tendered his resignation, were present.

At the valedictory session on Friday, the President said the ensuing vacancies would be filled in the coming days.

“I am happy to note that a significant number of cabinet members have become sufficiently equipped to aspire to higher elective offices, including the Office of the President. This shows the impact of the experience gathered while serving as members of the Federal Executive Council.

‘’I have no doubt that if the next President emerges from among former members of this cabinet, like any other aspirant, ample competence and outstanding service delivery would be on display. This will be part of our legacies to Nigerians.

‘’I note that some have complied while others are in the process of doing so. I would like to use this opportunity to commend your decision and courage to contest for elective offices and your compliance with my directive.

‘’I also wish to thank you for your invaluable services to this nation through your contributions as cabinet members. I wish you success in the upcoming elections and your future endeavors,’’ Buhari said.

The President told the ministers that looking back as the head of the team over the years, he had fond memories of incisive and robust discussions during cabinet meetings, rendering of performance reports during special sessions, and presidential retreats.

Noting that the departure of some cabinet members had undoubtedly created a vacuum that should be filled, the President said appointments would be made without delay so that the business of governance would not suffer.

He urged the remaining members of the cabinet to show more diligence, resilience, and commitment to serve Nigerians better, saying,‘‘The journey to the finish line is still very far.’’

Speaking on behalf of the outgoing ministers, Akpabio thanked the President for giving them the opportunity to serve and contribute their quota to nation building.

He described working with Buhari as a ‘‘fantastic and knowledgeable experience,’’ adding that as they stepped aside they would continue to be great disciples of Buhari.

‘’As we step aside from FEC, I want you to know that you have disciples in us. I want you to know that it is time for us to propagate Buharism.”

According to Akpabio, Buhari was the ‘’best President Nigeria could ever have had at a time of difficult circumstances.’’

He prayed to God to grant Buhari a successful tenure and protect his family.

Source: Punch

Since the information about his political ambition ahead of the 2023 presidential elections leaked to the public earlier this year, pressure has mounted on Mr Emefiele to step down from office as CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele has asked a court to declare that he can contest for the presidential ticket of any political party while serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

ALSO READ: CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele to run for president

In the suit he filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on May 5, Mr Emefiele, through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, no law exempted him from contesting the primary election of any political party as a sitting CBN governor.

“The plaintiff is legally competent to contest the primaries of any political parties while still serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in so far as he gives 30 days’ notice of his resignation, withdrawal from the services of the CBN as its governor in accordance with the provisions of section 167 and 318 of the constitution,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said.

Pressure has mounted on Mr Emefiele to step down from office since the information about his presidential ambition leaked to the public earlier this year.

In February, a PREMIUM TIMES editorial called on Mr Emefiele to resign and pursue his political ambition, if he had any or publicly distance himself from groups clamoring for him to contest the forthcoming presidential election scheduled

Mr Emefiele spoke for the first time on his reported plan to run for the presidency in the forthcoming 2023 election on Saturday.

He spoke after reports that a group had purchased the N100 million worth of presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for him.

He said, although he had yet to decide to contest the presidential election, should he heed the call to run for the presidency, he would use his “own hard earned savings from over 35 years of banking leadership to buy my own Nomination Forms”.

In his suit confirming his political ambition, Mr Emefiele sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation asking the court to restrain them from compelling him to resign as the CBN governor to run for office in 2023.

His lawyer, Mr Ozekhome, expressed fears that the INEC and the AGF are making “frantic efforts to disqualify” Mr Emefiele “from participating in the presidential primaries scheduled for June 3 2022, for not resigning from his office before the parties primaries.”

Prayers

He, therefore, prayed among others, an order that he “cannot be hindered, stopped or precluded from participating, voting or being voted for at the congress or convention of any political party of his choice for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for the election to the office of President or any other office under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

He also sought another order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants (INEC and AGF) “from hindering, stopping or precluding the plaintiff from participating, voting or being voted for at the congress or convention of any political party of his choice for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for the election to the office of the President or any other office under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

According to court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said: “The plaintiff in any event being a public officer is governed by section 318 of the constitution and not the said section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.”

He urged the court to declare that the provisions of section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), allegedly being relied on by INEC and the AGF to disqualify him to contest primary elections “are inconsistent with the provisions of section 137(1}{a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered) which and have been declared so by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

He also urged the court to declare that he is only subject to the provisions of section 137(1) (g) and 348 of the Nigerian Constitution “which require a public officer seeking election into a political office to resign, withdraw or retire from his appointment at least 30 days to the presidential election, rather than by the provisions of section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 or the guidelines, rules, criteria, measures or conditions made by the plaintiff’s political party or any political party. “

Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court is set to the hear the case on Monday.

Source: Premium Times

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

If an ex-minister succeeds me, it’ll be part of legacies- Buhari

“Declare me eligible to run for presidency without resigning as CBN governor”, Emefiele tells court

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Prayers