By Joy Odor
They said when the biggest and feared Masquerade come into the town square, which is President Muhammadu Buhari’s anointed son for 2023 President, the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, every other masquerade hids it tails.
This was proven to be true when Minister Nwajiuba, accepted the All Progressive Congress (APC) Expression of Interest form and officially announced his readyness to become the President of the country in 2023 at a reception hosted by the Project Nigeria Group (PNG) in Abuja on Wednesday, called on the party to forge the trust on him as their new symbol of unity, growth and regeneration.
The Minister informed that he recognized that in the last seven years, President Muhammadu Buhari has performed extraordinary feats in ensuring that party ideas have been established.
According to him, this is both in physical infrastructure of every type and inclusive policies reaching out to the poor and less privileged as they strive to uplift Nigeria and Nigerians into a developed state.
The Minister was of the opinion that a lot was still outstanding and needed to be done as many citizens were still hungry, unemployed and many more threatened by unwarranted and unnecessary internal security and economic challenges.
Mr Nwajuba revealed that his calling today to become next President invited him to take up a work path that builds on the solid foundations that have been laid thus far, provide different paradigms for new challenges and provide the platform for a vista that accommodates subject experts to pull together forces to meet our Nations challenges.
The Education Minister for State maintained that this is the path he propose to tread, having been properly schooled, experienced and tested in the last 30 years of active politics.
“I thank with profound respect my fellow Nigerians both those present here and those in all our nooks and cranny, whose desire for a regeneration has led them to identify me as their Chief Recruit for the job of moulding Nigeria along the path of its collective dreams.
“They have gathered resources from every part of the country and purchased the form for which the APC will nominate a candidate to fly its flag in the presidential elections in February 2023, they have now presented this to me.
“I now solemnly accept to run for us all, and bear our party’s flag into the elections and become our next president.
“I do this recognising that in the last seven years, President Muhammadu Buhari has performed extraordinary feats in ensuring that our progressive ideas have been established.
“Both in physical infrastructure of every type and inclusive policies reaching out to our poor and less privileged as we strive to uplift Nigeria and Nigerians into a developed state,” he said.
Speaking on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, Mr Nwajiuba said financial autonomy was the only solution to addressing the incessant strikes by the union.
He acknowledged that the impact of ASUU strike was huge on the Nigerian students, adding that the federal government had continued to appeal to ASUU to seek redress to its means of payment on Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS) rather than the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
When answering questions from journalists on resignation before 2023 election as enshrined in the Electroal ACT 2022 as amended, Mr Nwajuba reminded that as guided by the law of the country, all political appointees are required to resign 30 days before the general election.
He stressed that Nigeria’s law is a tested law on this issue and anyone who has a challenge on it can go to court.
“There are laid down guidelines as there is no one here who has the power to confer on any person when to resign or not.
“Nigeria’s law is a tested law on this issue and anyone who has a challenge on this can go to court on it,” he said.
The event, which attracted politicians and other well-wishers from various parts of the country, was also graced by Imo North Senator, Senator Frank Ibezim, House of Representatives member representing Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency of Nasarawa State, Honourable Abubakar Dahiru, lawmaker representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency of Benue State in the Green Chambers, Honorable Godday Odagboyi, as well as several former Federal lawmakers.
