9th October, 2022
By Korede Abdullahi
When Chris Ngige was asked by Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV whether he would endorse Tinubu as his party’s presidential candidate or Peter Obi of Labor Party, the minister described the question as “difficult”!
What is “difficult” in that simple question that he could not answer in the affirmative?
He later went on to say: “Both of them (Tinubu and Peter Obi) are my friends. My choice will be in the ballot box. Whether conscience or no conscience, on that day in February, I’ll have one vote,”
As a high-ranking APC government cabinet member, (Minister of Labour and employment), the question of who he would vote for should not have come up in the first place. It should have been settled.
As far as I am concerned, Ngige doesn’t have any moral ground to remain in his position as minister if he can not be publicly and openly be identified with the presidential candidate of his party. This is a political sacrilege and apostasy.
My take on this is that, it’s either Dr Ngige is a bloody coward or he has some axe to grind with Asiwaju Tinubu.
Surprisingly, some APC supporters are justifying Ngige’s faint-hearted commitment to the party he has benefited as minister for nearly eight years! This is an unpardonable gaffe!
Korede Abdullahi is a lawyer and public affairs analyst