Few after hours after the Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, Oby Ezekwesili announced her withdrawal from the 2019 presidential race, the national chairman of the party and her running mate, Gani Galadima, has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term.
Nigerians on Thursday woke up to the news that Ezekwesili had stepped down from the Presidential race. A statement from the spokesperson of the Obiageli Ezekwesili Presidential Campaign Organisation Ozioma Ubabukoh, said “The presidential candidate of the ACPN will now devote her time “to help build a coalition to defeat the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party in the February 16, 2019 election.”
Speaking to Journalists on Thursday, Galadima claimed that Ezekwesili only tried to the party for the post of finance minister and also accused her of not being serious in her campaign.
He said, “The reason for calling this press conference is to let the world know about the presidential aspiration of Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, which in actual fact is not the truth. I have been put into confidence by one of her aide named Iyinoluwa Aboyeji that she only wanted to use the platform of the ACPN to negotiate to be Nigeria’s finance minister.
“This she does not deem fit to inform the party whose mandate she is holding. If you observe, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili is the only presidential candidate who was so militant in her campaign without any tangible thing on ground to indicate any seriousness in the prosecution of her campaign.
“No campaign secretariat, billboard or great commitment on ground to indicate any seriousness. It is on this ground that the ACPN is withdrawing support for her presidential aspiration and endorsing the second term bid of President Muhammadu Buhari to take Nigeria to the next level.”
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Galadima also alleged that she did not inform the party of her decision to withdraw from the race.
He asked her to return to the party all the donations “from all over the world” because the party would have to account to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We may take her to court. She was just using us to play,” he said.
Galadima noted that the party’s fee for expression of interest and nomination form is N10.5 million but Ezekwesili only offered N100, 000.
