Asiwaju Network has urged the President to disengage underperforming ministers, who failed to deliver their polling units and wards in the by-elections.
It sought cabinet reshuffle to inject fresh energy and ensure only those who add political and governance value remain in Federal Executive Council.
In a statement in Abuja and by its President, Alhaji Musa Dandoka, the network said results of the elections were a litmus test that exposed the political weaknesses of some ministers.
At Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School in Jigawa State, where Minister of Defence, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, cast his vote, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 308 votes to defeat All Progressives Congress (APC), which got 112.
Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa and APC chieftain, left the venue without addressing journalists after voting amid heavy security presence.
Dandoka said it was troubling that despite his high office, the minister could not secure victory in his polling unit.
He argued that such setbacks undermine the strength of APC and the credibility of the Renewed Hope government.
“This defeat is embarrassing and unacceptable. A minister who cannot win his polling unit cannot claim to possess the political capital to defend APC or promote the Renewed Hope Agenda. President Tinubu must weed out weak links in his cabinet and replace them with men and women who have proven grassroots capacity,” Dandoka said.
The group noted that Badaru was not alone in this failure, stressing that another minister from Jigawa and one from Enugu State also lost their wards and polling units.
According to the group, these developments is a worrying trend of disconnect between them and their base.
“Ministers are not merely technocrats. They are political leaders of the party in their states and zones. If they cannot hold their homes together, then they do not deserve to hold on to strategic offices. The by-elections have sent a message, and it is that some ministers have lost relevance and electoral value,” it said.
Asiwaju Network maintained that APC’s strength lies in grassroots mobilisation, and any minister unable to inspire loyalty in his immediate constituency is a liability.
