Emeka Nwajiuba, a presidential aspirant has resigned his appointment as the Minister of State for Education.
Nwajiuba, who is seeking to run for president on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), resigned from office on Wednesday in Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed the minister’s resignation to the media.
The announcement comes a few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) seeking to vie for any elective position to drop their appointment.
President Buhari had issued the directive while presiding over the weekly FEC meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This directive, however, excludes the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, because he is an elected member of the cabinet.
Ministers affected Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation), Godswill Akpabio (Niger Delta Affairs), Chris Ngige (Labour and Employment), Ogbonnaya Onu (Science, Technology, and Innovation), Emeka Nwajiuba (Education – State), and Timipre Sylva (Petroleum Resources – State.
All of these ministers are presidential aspirants and have bought the nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling APC.
Others affected by the directive are Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogar, who are governorship aspirants in Kebbi and Abia respectively, as well as Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, who has declared interest to contest for a senatorial seat in Plateau State.