Oby Ezekwesili quits Presidential Race for A Coalition

Oby Ezekwesili

It is no longer news that during and after the Presidential Debate organized by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) on Saturday January 19 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the ecstatic applause that filled the air was so much that even the deaf and dumb would have sensed that something great is happening given the vibration, joy, jubilation and gladness that throng almost every house declaring, “Finally the savior is here”, “These are the type of Visionary Leaders we want in our country”, “These guys are just who Nigeria need to Lead us”, “Imagining these three people coming together to form an alliance or coalition” , "Now, we have a replacement having not to choose between two devils" amongst several other words that is in the lips of many.

It was so glaring that our Nation Nigeria truly need a savior who will deliver the country from the impeccable mess which has salvage it for many years by the corrupt politicians in the ruling party APC and his counterpart PDP which according to one of the Presidential Debate candidate, Fela Durotoye of ANN, referring them as 

"two sides of the same bad coin". 

This was also corroborated by the Kingsley Moghalu of Young Progressives Party saying that 

"One is a kettle and one is a pot. And they call each other black."

Just in the early hours of today (Thursday 24th January), Nigeria's leading Female Presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili who was also participated in the Presidential Debate posted on her twitter handle that she is withdrawing from the race, pledging to form an opposition coalition to defeat the ruling party.

She said (extracts from her twitter handle),  “following the reactions of Nigerian citizens at home and abroad to the 2019 Presidential Debate held on Saturday 19 January 2019, and after extensive consultations with leaders from various walks of life across the country over the past few days, I have decided 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.

This coalition for a viable alternative has now more than ever before become an urgent mission for and on behalf of the citizenry. Over the past three months, I have been in private extended talks with other candidates to make a coalition possible that would allow Nigerians to exercise choice without feeling helplessly saddled with the #APCPDP.

In doing so, I have not hesitated to offer my willingness to step down my candidacy in order to facilitate the emergence of a strong and viable alternative behind which Nigerians can line up in our collective search for a new beginning. My commitment in this regard has been consistent and in consonance with my agreement, at the request of then aspirants under PACT in 2018, to supervise their internal selection process as an outside observer passionate about building this alternative force.

Despite disagreements within the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria on these and other issues, I have decided that it is now necessary to show by action and example my determination on this issue by stepping down my candidacy and focusing on building the coalition once and for all.

We have no right to allow citizens give in to despair. We will #Fight4Naija together, and prove to all that the mess that has now become the political class will not be allowed to destroy our spirits and the nation. We are also determined to ensure that the message keeps resonating that our beloved country deserves better, and that if we are to get the best that we deserve, we must fight for it. From last year, I have made it clear to the nation that Nigeria has always had a 20 year cycle of change - 1959, 1979, and 1999.

2019 begins another 20 year cycle, and together with all Nigerians of good will, I stand ready to play my part to ensure that we do not miss this opportunity to sing a new song. We have no more time to waste. Let’s get to work!

These were the words of a woman who served as a former government minister, and a founder of the civil society organization Transparency International. She was considered for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her anti-corruption work.

Fela Durotoye has also in his twitter handle showed respect to what Oby Ezekwesili did by saying:

I have always believed that leadership is about service & sacrifice & today, I would like to commend Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili @obyezeks for leading the charge to forming a viable coalition to presenting a Consensus Candidate for the 2019 Presidential elections. To ensure an alliance is formed and we present a united front, I AM READY to come into coalition talks with my brothers Omoyele Sowore @yelesho & Prof. Kingsley Moghalu @moghalukingsley.

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. Let us come together and seize this historic window of opportunity for our generation to select one of us to go ahead of us ... so that ALL OF US can come together and speak with one voice at the 2019 General Elections.

Oby Ezekwesili is known more recently for her work as co-founder of 'Bring Back Our Girls', a campaign which seeks to raise awareness about some 270 girls who were kidnapped from their school in the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014 by Boko Haram.

Many of the girls managed to escape in the hours following their abduction or have been released in the last few years, but about 100 are still missing and their condition is unknown.

From my point of view, It would however be in the best interest of this nation to support a visionary and young leader who is passionate in the right direction and not a clueless old ruler who is dispassionate and taking us to the grave as Mo Ibrahim, the Chairman, Mo Ibrahim Foundation in his words said, 

“Why do we pick up leaders at 90 years old to lead… to lead us where?… to the grave? 

That is a deep word for thought."

Banjo Isaiah, a writer, a youth leader, a media practitioner, an administrator and political analyst writes from Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, Nigeria.