Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture and current President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akiwumi Adesina, has joined the battle for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
He becomes one of the latest aspirants to have obtained copies of the Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to vie for the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket.
According to multiple reports, a coalition of 28 groups consisting of Youth Arise Movement, Nigerians in Diaspora, One Nigeria Group, Prudent Youth Association of Nigeria, women groups, farmers, people with disabilities and other civil society groups, raised the N100 million to purchase the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for the former Agriculture Minister.
It was also reported that the coalition is led by the Head, of One Nigeria Group, Mohammed Saleh. Other sources have it that the coalition is led by Mr Ademola Babatunde of the Youth Arise Movement (YAM).
Babatunde, who is a former presidential candidate of the defund Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) in the 2019 presidential election, said that the groups believed in Adesina’s capacity to fix the challenges bedevilling the country.
“We are 28 groups, precisely, that came together after very serious consultations, and deliberations on the way forward for a better and united Nigeria.
“We unanimously decided that though the money is outrageous, but if we truly want a better future for ourselves and our children, we must put our resources together to obtain the forms for Adesina.
“We are very much aware of the critical time that Nigerians and our country, Nigeria, are going through.
“If we fail to support a candidate of credible and worthy note, like Adesina, we will eventually hand over this country to mediocre, who will finally destroy our commonwealth.
“This is one of the supports we are fundamentally and passionately determined to render for ourselves by putting Adesina forward to Nigerians,” he said.
Babatunde said that the coalition was fully ready in the coming days to mobilise its stakeholders and ensure support for Adesina to emerge as the flag bearer of the APC.
The development has buried the speculations that some APC chieftains were mounting pressure on him to enter the race and that it would be easier to secure presidential approval for his bid.
However, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that Adesina is yet to declare his intention to run for the presidential seat.
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