2023: Ngige May Back Obi

Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment says he has not made up his mind to vote for Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of his party, All Progressives Congress, APC.

Tinubu, close watchers of politics in the country insist, is in a three-horse race with Abubakar Atiku of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP who seems to have shattered bookmakers’ predictions considering the popularity he has received since declaring for president.

The former governor of Anambra state who spoke during an interview on Channels Television on Friday is also not sure that the APC will win next year’s presidential election.

Ngige made the comment barely 24 hours after Tinubu returned to the country from the United Kingdom, UK after spending 12 days.

The APC presidential hopeful and former Governor of Lagos state said on his return that the country needs him to turn things around.

Many insist Tinubu will only win if he can end divisions and gets the support of critical stakeholders in the party.

Speaking, Ngige who once said Tinubu is not his match in politics stated that he has not decided on whom to vote for between Tinubu and Obi, saying “both of them are my friends. My choice will be in the ballot box. It is a secret ballot. I shouldn’t tell Nigerians what I would do secretly.”

He said APC must put its house in order to win the very critical election.

“We have problems in APC; PDP has their own. Their own is two times our own. Our own is family disagreements. If we get our acts together, my party will sweep.”

Not a few watching what’s going on in the ruling party insist that Ngige’s position may be shared by some leaders of the APC, particularly considering the recent happenings in the party.

Apart from APC‘s decision to field a Muslim/Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election, some chieftains of the party across the country are believed not to be in support of Tinubu’s presidential bid.

Meanwhile, those watching what’s going on in the party said Ngige many have joined some APC chieftains who have vouched to work against Tinubu next year. Prominent among them are Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, SGF.