Durotoye says he too is ready to follow Ezekwesili and withdraw from race in favour of consensus candidate

NIGERIA'S presidential race has just become narrower after the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) candidate Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili pulled out of the contest and Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (AAN) indicated that he might too.

Next month, Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a new president and there are currently a record 71 candidates running for the top job. This morning, Dr Ezekwesili, Nigeria's former education minister pulled out of the contest, saying she is doing so to help build a coalition against the two main parties the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking a second term as the APC candidate, while former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, standing as the PDP candidate is his main challenger. According to Dr Ezekwesili, her decision to withdraw from the race followed extensive discussions with Nigerians at home and in the diaspora and an examination of the country’s electoral environment sequel to the 2019 presidential debate that took place on January 19.

Dr Ezekwesili said: “It is my ardent belief that this broad coalition for a viable alternative has now become more than ever before, an urgent mission for and on behalf of Nigerian citizens. I have therefore chosen to lead the way in demonstrating the much needed patriotic sacrifice for our national revival and redirection.

“I wish to state that over the past three months, I have been in private but extended talks with other candidates to birth a coalition that would allow Nigerians to exercise their choice without feeling helplessly encumbered by the evil twins of  the APCPDP. While the deliberations continued, In ever hesitated for a moment in my willingness and determination to sacrifice my candidacy in order to facilitate the emergence of the envisaged strong and viable alternative that Nigerians could identify with in our collective search for a new beginning."

However, her party objected to the move, saying she did not discuss the matter with anyone before taking the decision. Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima, the ACPN national chairman and Dr Ezekwesili's running mate, said that the party would now withdraw her candidacy and give to somebody else.

Alhaji Galadima added: "She only pre-empted the decision we would have reached today which was to withdraw her candidacy and give to somebody else. Our presidential nomination ticket is N10m and our expression of interest is N500,000 but when she came she said she did not have money, that she only had N100,000 and because we wanted to encourage women, we gave her our platform."

In a further development, Mr Durotoye added: "I have always believed that leadership is about service and sacrifice and today, I would like to commend Dr Oby Ezekwesili for leading the charge to forming a viable coalition to presenting a consensus candidate for the 2019 presidential elections. To ensure that an alliance is formed and we present a united front, I am ready to come into any coalition talks with my brothers Omoyele Sowore and Professor Kingsley Moghalu and to submit myself to any transparent process that will help us arrive at a selection of a consensus candidate from amongst us.

"To be clear, if the process produces any other candidate apart from myself, I am ready to support whoever the consensus candidate is and to do all I can to support the coalition to win the 2019 presidential elections for our generation. Once again, I implore the frontline candidates in our generation, let us come together and seize this historic window of opportunity for our generation to select one of us to go ahead of us."