Some Minister mishandled time in office (4)
I believe the answer is:
term
'time in office' is the definition.
(eg a presidential term)
'some minister mishandled' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates a hidden word (some parts of the word are used).
'TERM' is hidden in the letters of 'minister mishandled'.
(Other definitions for term that I've seen before include "Time in jail" , "Fixed period of time" , "Fixed period or special word" , "Part of the school year" , "A fixed or limited time - or an expression" .)