Musa Sarkin Adar, a member of the National Assembly who represents the Gada Goronye Federal Constituency in Sokoto, has supported the president’s recent order to his ministers that they should not take time off from their official duties to participate in political campaigns.
On Tuesday, Buhari had issued a warning to ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of government agencies, stating that “any infraction will be viewed seriously” if they chose to focus on campaigning instead of conducting official business.
The President issued the warning following his signing of Executive Order 012 on Improving Performance Management, Coordination, and Implementation of Presidential Priorities at the 2022 Ministerial Performance Review Retreat’s closing ceremony.
Notable among Buhari ministers fully involved in the Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress campaign is Festus Keyamo, who is the Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
Keyamo is the spokesman for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. Speaking on Arise Television recently, Keyamo insisted that he has the capability to balance the two offices.
“The President’s directive to his ministers that nobody should abandon his statutory official work as a minister to go and play politics is in order, but he should have added that any minister who should participate in active politics should resign immediately, as we’ve seen in the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In six months’ time, he’ll call a meeting saying anyone interested in politics should resign and go, “Hon. Adar said in an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday.
“That we’ve not had since in this government. The ministers even attempted to contest various political positions. They submitted their resignations, or they announced it and later went back to their offices, and yet nothing happened. I’m on the same page as President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Any minister that wants to go and campaign for the presidential candidate of the APC, whether at the state or national level, should resign.” They should resign and be men of honour. You cannot eat your cake and have it.
“You’re occupying the prestigious position of minister.” You’re not the only one. You were chosen among many, and you’re being paid for that. You cannot just stick to your office and take advantage. If any minister goes to campaign for any political party, whether APC or any other party they want to migrate to, they should be sacked immediately. “