Politics
Commissioners, Others Resign In States As Buhari’s Ministers Stay Put
In line with section 84 (12) of the amended Electoral Act, no fewer than 53 commissioners and other aides of state governors have resigned in states to contest for elective positions ahead of the 2023 general elections.
This is just as ministers at the federal level, including Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation), Senator Chris Ngige (Labour and Employment), Abubakar Malami (Attorney General of the Federation/ Justice) and other heads of federal agencies, who are eying elective positions are yet to tender resignation.
While Amaechi has since declared for the presidency, Ngige, barring any last minute-change, will today declare for the same position. Malami, on his part, according to sources around him, is set to contest the governorship election of his home state, Kebbi.
The Tide source reports that many heads of federal agencies have indicated interest in contesting governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives elections. The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, at the weekend commenced consultations for the Kaduna State governorship seat.
Section 84 (12) says 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 nomination of candidates for any election.”
The gale of defection in states, The Tide source reports, was not unconnected with the directives by state governors to that effect. The president is yet to make any statement in this direction. Buhari had written the parliament requesting that the section be deleted. The lawmakers rejected the president’s request. The matter went to the Federal High Court, Umuahia, where JusticeEvelyn Anyadike voided the clause, on the ground that it violates the 1999 Constitution. The National Assembly has since appealed the judgement.
Reacting, Professor Kamilu Sani Fage of Bayero University, Kano, opined that the ministers and other federal political appointees going ahead to campaign without resigning are “Violating the laws of the land even though they still have some few days or weeks before the ultimatum but in spite of that, it is against the law and politically wrong for somebody who is holding a position and knows the law to try to test the law by not obeying it. I think that is not right.”
Fage, a renowned political scientist, said this act has grave implications, “Because leaders are supposed to lead by example otherwise they will be setting bad precedents for the country.”
He said although they may say they still have the case before a court of law, they are making a “political gamble”.
Fage believed that President Buhari made a mistake in his approach on the matter, saying the way they handled it is a little bit wrong.
On his part, an associate Professor of Political Sociology, University of Abuja, Dr Abubakar Umar Kari, said it was not a big deal that no minister has resigned.
”That no minister has resigned yet is no big deal, because my layman understanding of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 is that political appointees are free to remain in office up to the eve of the primaries if they are desirous of partaking in the primaries either as delegates or aspirants. They are only prohibited from participating during the primaries. Therefore, there is a little time left for them,” he said.
According to the university don, the president’s appointees are emboldened by the judgement of the federal high court on the matter.
When contacted, some close allies of the ministers and other top government officials eying elective offices said there was nothing wrong in what they were doing.
“There is a marked difference between what is happening in the states and the reality at the national level…You people are just trying to push our principals out,” one of them said.
When told that there was the likelihood that their continued stay would affect governance, he said, “It is not true, the governance is not affected in any way.”
Another aide of one of the ministers said, “A court of competent jurisdiction has settled the matter, you people should wait for the outcome of the appeal.”
No fewer than 12 commissioners and aides of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State have so far tendered their resignations to contest for various elective positions come 2023.
They include the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu and her counterpart in the Ministry of Enterprise, Hajia Fatimah Arinola Lawal.
Sa’adatu and Aisha, wife of former NBC boss and daughter of former governor of Kwara State respectively are both in the race for the Ilorin East/Ilorin South Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
Top judiciary officials told The Tide source that the Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo (SAN) has resigned to pursue his House of Representatives ambition in Ilorin West/Asa while the Commissioner for Mining, Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin as well as Mr Kayode Oyin-Zubair, SSA on Community Intervention have both thrown in the towel.
Oyin-Zubair and Harriet are both seeking election into the House of Representatives seat in Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency.
General Manager of the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP), Mohammed Brimah has reportedly resigned to join the race for the Ilorin East/Ilorin South seat in the House of Representatives and Dr Raji Razak, the state Commissioner for Health is said to be seeking election into the Irepodun/Isin/Ekiti/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Alhaji Abdulateef Alakawa, Special Adviser to the governor on Politics is also eyeing the Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency of the state while the Commissioner for Agriculture, Sabba Yisa Gideon is reportedly contesting for the state assembly.
In Kano, at least ten commissioners have resigned their appointment to be able to pursue their individual political careers, with nine of them resigning a few hours after the 48-hours ultimatum given to them by the state Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
While the Commissioner for Water Resources, Sadiq Wali was the first to throw in the towel earlier in the month, nine other commissioners joined him from Sunday to Monday, which was the last day of the 48-hour ultimatum given by the governor.
Among those that recently resigned is the Deputy Governor, Nasir Gawuna, who resigned his portfolio as the Commissioner for Agriculture. Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Murtala Sule Garo’s resignation put paid to insinuations that he may be the most favoured to get the party’s governorship ticket. This is because of his close relationship with the governor’s wife, Hafsat Ganduje.
Although Garo is yet to officially declare for the position, the first lady had caused some ripples some months ago when she was reported to have stated at one political event that Kano State would be in good hands if Garo is to take over from her husband. However, the state government had quickly issued a statement to say the first lady’s statement should not be misconstrued as Garo’s anointment to take over from thegovernor because several other cabinet members, including the Deputy Governor, Nasir Gawuna and other loyalists of the governor are believed to be eyeing the highest political seat in the state.
Other cabinet members who have resigned their appointments to contest the House of Representatives election are the Commissioners for Budget and Planning, Education, Tourism, Special Duties, Rural Development, Transport and Health, Alhaji Nura Muhammed Dankade, Sanusi Said Kiru, Ibrahim Ahmad Karaye, Mukhtar Ishaq Yakasai, Iliyasu Kwankwaso, Mahmoud Muhammad Santsi and Dr. Aminu Tsanyawa respectively.
The Chief of Staff to the governor, Ali Haruna Makoda as well as a host of other political appointees have also resigned their appointments to pursue their personal political careers.
In Delta, it was reported that Ovie Agas, the Chief of Staff to the state governor, and nine commissioners have resigned their appointments.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this at a press conference recently in Asaba. He said the resignation was in compliance with the provision of Section 84, subsection (12) of the Electoral Law on political appointees seeking elective positions.
Similarly, six commissioners in the cabinet of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel have so far resigned their position to pursue their different political ambitions.
They include the Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr Akan Okon; Dr Glory Edet, Commissioner for Agriculture; Barr Prince Akpabio, Commissioner for Trade and Investment; Mr Okpulupm Etteh, Commissioner for Special Duties and Aviation; Prof Enoh Ibanga, Commissioner for Works and Mr Umo Eno, Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources.
Governor Emmanuel has already appointed new commissioners to fill the vacant positions.
In Benue State, four commissioners resigned from office to enable them to face their 2023 political ambitions.
Also, the Chief of Staff to the Benue State Governor, Pastor Terwase Orbunde and the Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase.
The commissioners include; Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Ngunan Addingi; Environment and Water Resources, Engr Dondo Ahire; Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar and that of Youth and Sports, Comrade Ojemba Ojotu.
While the former Chief of staff, Orbunde, former environment commissioner and the former education commissioner are eyeing the seat of their principal in the coming election, Addingi, who exited the information and her counterpart of Youth and Sports, Ojotu are warming up for House of Representatives in their various localities.
The former commissioners turned governorship aspirants however lost out in the ongoing consensus arrangement.
Daily Trust reports that Rivers State is not left out of the gale of resignation as the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo; the Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu; Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Boma Iyayi; Special Adviser to Governor Nyesome Wike on Special Projects, George Kelly and the Accountant General of the state, Asimilaye Fubara, have all resigned in a bid to take over Brick House in Port Harcourt.
Our source reports that in Kaduna, only the Commissioner for a Budget and Planning, Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, popularly known as Dattijo has resigned his appointment to pursue his gubernatorial ambition.
Dattijo has since been replaced by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Umma Aboki, who was screened and confirmed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly last week Tuesday.
In Ogun State, our correspondent reports that the resignation of the cabinet members has been shrouded in secrecy.
Apart from the Commissioner for Rural Development, Taiwo Oludotun who resigned his appointment in February to join the House of Representatives race, other appointees eyeing elective positions have stayed put.
The former Special Adviser on Information, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf had equally resigned to join the governorship race against her boss, Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, Chief of Staff, Shuaib Salis, more than 10 commissioners and the special advisers who are reportedly seeking various positions in next year’s election have not resigned.
Insiders told our source that a number of them have “secretly resigned” their positions without making it public. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin told Daily Trust that he did not have records of those who have resigned from the government.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor