The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday threatened to expel ministers who disobey presidential directives and decisions taken by the party.

National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole described as “the height of mischief for any minister to purport to be honourable and act dishonourably”, adding that “nobody is greater than the party.”

Oshiomhole spoke yesterday at the Presidential Villa afte meeting with Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari.

He was reacting to the delay by the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, to inaugurate the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Funds (NSITF).

Minister of Trandpoetation (Aviation) Hadi Sirika is also yet to inaugurate the boards of Aviation agencies mant months after President Muhammadu Buhari appointed members.

Ngige was said to have refused to inaugurate the board due to alleged fraud of over N40 billion perpetrated by the previous board.

Oshionhole said: “If the minister refuses, we will suspend him from the party. You know we must return to internal discipline.

“If the President condones disrespect for his office, I will not condone disrespect for the party. And when we expel the minister we will prevail on the President that he can’t keep in his cabinet people who have neither respect for his own decisions nor have respect for the party without which they would not have been ministers.

“There are no independent candidates in our system, nobody, I emphasis no minister is above the party and they have taken undue advantage of the President’s fatherly disposition.

“Now, it is the same green pen that made them minister that appointed these boards that they are refusing to swear in. And it is absolutely legal for a minister in a democracy to prey the powers of the board because the laws establishing those institutions are clear, that the boards have procedures to follow.

“So, when a minister sits in his office to appropriate the powers of the board in a democracy, not in a dictatorship, award contract that didn’t go though boards, those are clearing abuse of office for which they are liable.

“I am convinced that what they are doing is not with the endorsement of Mr. President. Over the period they have tried to drop the president’s name but I tell them it is the same authority that appoint these people.

“So, we are informing them that it is either they comply to the president’s instructions or they comply with the party’s position or they go and administer outside the government.

“We have respect for ministers but only to the extent that they recognize that they are a product of a political party and we are not negotiating that. If they done that in the past under our leadership we will not tolerate it.

“They either comply or we will expel them from the party. When we expel them we will find out how a government can keep a rebel in the cabinet. There is no question about that.” he said