The minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, has refuted reports that he would be contesting for the Delta state gubernatorial election in 2019.
The reports which were carried by some online news portal infuriated the minister who described them as "fictitious, baseless and mischievous".
Kachikwu debunked the rumoured governorship ambition while speaking with newsmen in Abuja.
The minister said the rumour of his governorship ambition at this time is a serious disservice to the efforts being made by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to fix the challenges in the country's petroleum sector.
He added: “The enormity of the problems the current administration met on ground in the petroleum sector is one that requires a great deal of focus and commitment to tackle and by God’s grace, we will get there. So we can do without some of these distractions that blow hot air and heat up the polity without addressing the immediate needs of the citizenry.
“At the moment we need to support Mr President in his drive to reform the petroleum sector, so putting unnecessary pressure on those directly working with him will not only distract but could delay the process as, given the enormity of the problems, all hands must be on deck to achieve the kind of reform needed in the sector.”
The minister said he remains committed to his duty of supervising the president's ongoing reforms at the petroleum sector and helping him achieve his campaign promises to the people of Nigeria. He called on well meaning Nigerians to render their support to the federal government's efforts to reform the petroleum sector.
Kachikwu warned those responsible for the reports to desist from playing politics with his name and allow him to concentrate on his national assignment in Abuja.
Meanwhile some previouse reports noted that.The Conscience of the Niger (TCN) revealed that Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria's petroleum minister, had no interest in contesting for the Delta state gubernatorial election in 2019.
TCN said claims that Kachikwu was eyeing becoming a governor in the next election is being championed by mischievous people to embarrass the minister.
In a statement made available to journalists Mitai Okeroghene, said: “Dr Kachikwu is not stupid. He is a technocrat and not a politician and has not in any form or shape shown indications of wanting to contest election, and so, it stands to reason that those behind his posters flooding Abuja have a sinister plot to achieve and their message is also clearly directed at their target audience, hence, the choice of Abuja as their location for the posters."
No comments:
Post a Comment