The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria [ACPN], Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, who withdrew from the race, has lost the support of her party.
A source close to the party leadership said the party lost hope in winning the presidential election, as well as Madam Ezekwesili’s ability to deliver, hence, endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari.
After much heated dispute among the party hierarchy, Madam Ezekwesili suddenly announced her withdrawal from the presidential race.
Lagos Times reported that Ezekwesili announced her sudden withdrawal on Thursday morning on her website.
Her sudden withdrawal came barely a week after the presidential debate held on Saturday, January 19, 2019, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Citing her reasons for her withdrawal, she stated, among other things, her desire to “step down from the presidential race and focus on helping to build a Coalition for a viable alternative to the #APCPDP in the 2019 general elections .”
The former Minister for Education is an ardent critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC and the Alhaji Atiku Buhari-led PDP.
Barely three hours after the withdrawal of from the 2019, the national chairman of the party who is also her running mate, Alhaji Gani Galadima, endorsed the re-election bid of President Buhari.
Galadima alleged that Ezekwesili entered the race because she was looking forward to becoming the Minister of Finance.
At a briefing today, he accused Ezekwesili of using the party for her selfish interest.
Ezekwesili gave hints in her withdrawal notice that she had lost the party, when she mentioned the resistance within over her idea to forge a coalition candidate.
However, Galadima’s statement showed the party was headed in a different direction, which was backing President Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
Galadima also accused Ezekwesili of other sins, adding that the former Minister never shown any seriousness in the contest.
In his words: “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.”
The party also accused Ezekwesili of opening several accounts in the name of the party and her campaign without the knowledge of the party, and urged her to return all properties and donations received.
When asked if the party had an idea how much she got, the secretary of the party, Paul Isamade, revealed that, she admitted to the party about a month ago that she got $5000 and N35 million from local donations.
He also said she opened up to have spent N29 million so far.
Mrs Ezekwesili had said in her Thursday morning statement that she would provide details of her campaign expenses.