2023: Minister of Education emeka Nwajiuba buys N100 million APC form amidst ASUU strike

Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education, on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in Abuja purchased the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC’s) nomination and declaration of interest forms for the 2023 presidential election.

According to reports, Nwajiuba obtained both forms after a group, Project Nigeria, reportedly pooled the N100m fees.

The indigene of Imo State, Nwajiuba was appointed minister of education by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019.

His entrance into the presidential race comes as the nation marks 72 days since Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike commenced.

ASUU is a trade union whose objectives include regulation of relations between academic staff and employers; encouragement of the participation of its members in the affairs of the university system and of the nation, protection and advancement of the socio-economic and cultural interest of the nation.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022, demanding among others, the deployment of UTAS to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement between the union and the Nigerian government as minimum conditions to achieve peace.

Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment; and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, are some other Ministers who have officially declared interest in the 2023 presidency.

According to a new guideline of the APC, all political appointees who aspire to contest are to resign at least 30 days before the conduct of the primaries slated for May.

The party had earlier announced that the aspirants seeking to contest for the 2023 presidency would pay N100m to buy the forms.

The APC explained that the nomination form would go for N70 million while the expression of interest form costs N30 million.

Reacting to the development, Adamu Garba, who recently announced his intention to join the presidential race said the price tag is tantamount to buying political offices.