The Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), says it will support President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid, shortly after the party’s presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, withdrew from the race.
Ozioma Ubabukoh, spokesperson of the Obiageli Ezekwesili Presidential Campaign Organisation, noted that she will now devote her time in building a coalition that would the defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking with journalists, Gani Galadima, national chairman of the party, accused Ezekwesili of plotting to use the ACPN platform to negotiate to be finance minister.
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Galadima also claimed the former minister did not show seriousness in her campaign, lamenting that she did not inform the party of her decision to withdraw from the race.
“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,” he said.
“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 chairman 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 also said, the party’s fee for expression of interest and nomination form is N10.5 million, but the former minister of education only offered N100,000.