New Zealand Prime Minister Resigns, By Stanley Ugagbe

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has disclosed that she is stepping out of her role as the nation’s leader.

Ardern, who made the revelation at the party’s first caucus meeting of the year, also confirmed this saying she has not had “enough in the tank to do it” as the October national election approaches.

She said “I’m leaving, because with such a privileged role comes responsibility – the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not. I know what this job takes.

“And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple,” said added.

It is imperative to note that her term as prime minister will wrap up no later than 7 February but she will continue as an MP until the election this year.

“I am human, politicians are human. We give all that we can for as long as we can. And then it’s time. And for me, it’s time,” she said.

The PM averred that she had reflected over the summer break on whether she had the energy to continue in the role, and had concluded she did not.

It could be recalled that in 2017, Ardern became the world’s youngest female head of government when she was elected prime minister at the age of 37.

She has led New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic, and a series of disasters including the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, and the White Island volcanic eruption.

The leader said “This has been the most fulfilling five and a half years of my life. But it’s also had its challenges – among an agenda focused on housing, child poverty and climate change, we encountered a … domestic terror event, a major natural disaster, a global pandemic, and an economic crisis”.