*Your Election Can Be Annulled, Gbajabiamila Tells Appointees Yet To Resign
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The Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila has advised political appointees seeking elective positions to resign, saying their elections might be annulled if they refused to do so.
He made the call on Thursday while speaking to Channels Television in London on the sidelines of a paper he delivered at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).
According to him, Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, which stipulates that political appointees should resign before seeking political offices in the next election, should be obeyed.
“There was a reason for every law. And that particular provision had a reason behind it,” the lawmaker said. “It had mischief it sought to cure and we all know what that mischief is.”
While some appointees have followed the provision, he said others “remain obstinate for want of a better word and hide under the cover that there is a court decision that has nullified that provision.
“But then, there is also a court decision that said that nullification by the court should not be executed as of yet. Then, there has also been an appeal by the National Assembly to set it aside.
“So, invariably, it is a personal decision that they have to make. Therefore, the risk they run at the end of it all is if the court does find that the National Assembly was well within its rights to make such a provision that you are contesting an election while still a political appointee, then you are on a very serious risk of having your election bid annulled”.
Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, which was signed by the President Muhammadu Buhari, provided that, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
The implication of the provision is that political appointees who intend to be voting delegates or stand as aspirants for elective positions in a primary election shall, first of all, resign their appointments.
Ministers who are serving under the present regime who had declared their interest to contest in the 2023 elections without resigning included the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
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