Barely three hours after the withdrawal of Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) from the 2019 presidential race, the national chairman of the party, who is also her running mate, Alhaji Gani Galadima, on Thursday, endorsed the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Galadima, whose performance in the election debate for vice presidential candidates was seen to be very poor, alleged that Ezekwesili entered the race because she was looking forward to becoming the Minister of Finance.
A source close to Galadima said that by withdrawing from the presidential race, Ezekwesili had given Galadima a direct entry and opportunity he had been looking for to endorse Buhari.
“Galadima is not known and ACPN is not popular. By withdrawing from the race, the opportunity has now knocked at his door to endorse Buhari. This is what he has been looking for”, a source in the party stated.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Buhari commissions Zik Mausoleum
A statement issued by the party, signed by Galadima and the party’s Secretary, Chief Paul Isamade, read, “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.”
