The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Tuesday made public his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Mr Ngige made the declaration at Alor, his country home town in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra in an occasion organised by his political associates.

He said after due consultations, that he decided to vie for the position because “he has all it takes to steer the ship of Nigeria to safe harbour.”

Reviewing his activities as the minister under President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, Mr Ngige said he handled about 1,383  labour related disputes.

The minister equally scored the Buhari regime high in some aspects, but said that the administration performed below average in some areas.

“I can give high marks to this government in some areas, and score the government low in some aspects due to some prevailing factors,” he said.

He said given his years of experience that if elected as the next president, he knew what to do to tackle the challenges in the country now.

Chukwuma Agufugo, factional state secretary of APC in Anambra, said the event was a follow up to a December 2021 event where Mr Ngige was urged to contest the 2023 presidential election.

(NAN)