Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says President Muhammadu Buhari will decide the fate of ministers who declared interest in elective offices but later backed out.
Mohammed said this on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, while briefing journalists after the federal executive council, FEC, meeting in Abuja.
The president had last week asked all members of his cabinet seeking elective offices to resign on or before May 16.
The ministers include Rotimi Amaechi, Godswill Akpabio, Timipre Sylva, Chris Ngige, Uche Ogah, Ogbonnaya Onu, Pauline Tallen, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
Owing to the president’s directive, some ministers had tendered their resignation, while the president subsequently met with the outgoing cabinet members.
After the meeting, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, AGF, withdrew from the 2023 Kebbi governorship race; Tallen pulled out from the Plateau south senatorial race; while Ngige, minister of labour and employment, announced his withdrawal from the 2023 presidential race.
Responding to questions on the matter, Mohammed said he will seek Buhari’s position on the development.
“The other question about ministers returning or not going, I think you need to give me more time so that I can tell you exactly what the situation is,” he said.
“Right now, I need to cross-check. I need to confirm again from Mr president what the situation is. You see the final decision on who is going, who’s coming back, who’s not going lies with Mr president.”
