Politics
Obi a mere ‘spare tyre’ to Atiku – Ngige
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, Sunday described the vice presidential slot given to the South-East by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a “mere spare tyre”.
He argued that the position would not confer any advantage on the Igbo as a race.
Ngige also said that the foundation laid by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the first term would make his second term “a merry period” for Nigerians.
He stated this in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, while answering questions from journalists.
While asking the Igbo to vote for Buhari in 2019 polls, Ngige said it was the shortest route for the Igbo to become president.
“This man (Buhari) has only one term of four years to do and go home and an Igbo man will replace him as president. But if you leave this shortest route and go into gambles, you are on your own,” Ngige stated
He said those who were going about singing restructuring of the country as a political campaign did not mean it in their inner mind, noting that restructuring was a constitutional issue which could not be achieved by propaganda and sugar-coated speeches.
Read also: On Buhari’s orders, Obi’s bank accounts have been frozen –PDP
He described the vice presidential slot given to the Igbo by the Peoples Democratic Party as a “mere spare tyre that might be used for over six years,” adding that it would not confer any advantage on the Igbo as a race.
He debunked the insinuations in some quarters that Buhari hated the Igbo, stressing that the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and many others were close friends and associates of Buhari.
The minister said the Buhari government had provided substantial infrastructure in the South-East geopolitical zone.
He said if the Igbo do not play their card well in next year’s general elections, the South-West geopolitical zone would produce the next president after Buhari, saying the zone had shown demonstrable commitment to Buhari’s cause.
He added that the foundations laid by the Buhari government in the first term would make his second term a “merry-go-round” for Nigerians.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...