On Thursday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the long-awaited list of his prospective ministers to the Senate.

Among the 28 nominees were Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, all immediate past governors.

Interestingly, Wike, during the commissioning of a project in August 2022, said he was not interested in becoming a minister after the end of his tenure as Rivers State Governor in 2023.

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The comment was made during the buildup to the 2023 presidential election.

“I will campaign and work for the party (PDP),” said Wike, while commissioning a newly constructed lounge at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

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“Stop this Abuja politics of carrying rumours about a candidate. Only one person can be a minister from a state. I will not be a minister. I will not. I will not. I am not a liability.”

Since Femi Gbajabiamila, the current Chief of Staff to the President and immediate past Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, submitted the list to the 10th Senate, Wike has not issued an official statement.