A former presidential aspirant, Ibinabo Dokubo, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to appoint her as a minister in his incoming administration.
Ms Dokubo, the first female presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said the appointment would serve as compensation for her withdrawal from the presidential race because of Mr Tinubu.
Ms Dokubo spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
She said she was qualified to be a minister because she had many ideas that would assist the incoming administration in developing the country.
“I don’t only deserve to be a minister. I am qualified to be a minister as a youth and as a leader in the Rivers State APC. I have the capacity. I have something that I can bring to the table. I had so many plans while I was running for president. I deserve to be a minister.
“I am not saying I must become minister, but I must be part of the process. Either I will, or I will nominate. Asiwaju said his government is going to be a youth government. In all categories, I am qualified to be a minister,” she added
Ms Dokubo accused the outgoing Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, of lobbying the president-elect and the leadership of the APC for a ministerial position.
“I can see Nyesom Wike running around Asiwaju and APC. This is a party he once called a cancer party. Does Nyesom Wike want to be a cancer minister,” she said.
“I declared before Asiwaju when he indicated his interest that he wanted to become the president; he stood a better chance of getting the ticket. I am still young, I still have more years ahead of me, so I withdrew my interest.”
10th National Assembly
The former presidential aspirant condemned the zoning arrangement of the APC for the sharing of leadership positions of the 10th National Assembly.
She noted that the choice of the party for the senate presidency, Godswill Akpabio, is unfit for the position on the ground that he “ran a one-man show” while he was a minister of the Niger Delta.
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“When I got the news, I was not happy. I know the party is supreme, but equity, fairness and justice are more supreme than the party. It is better for them to go and vote,” she said.
“It was not nice. They endorsed Godswill Akpabio for senate president. He did well as the governor of Akwa Ibom. Akpabio did well as a minority leader. But as a minister of the Niger Delta, Akpabio did not do well. NDDC almost collapsed in the hands of Akpabio. For over two years, it was a one-man show; one man sat on the affairs of NDDC.”
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