Akiwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and former Nigerian minister of Agriculture, could be the next one to joined the 2023 presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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 on Saturday paid for the N100 million APC forms for Adesina.
An official in Publicity Directorate of the APC who preferred anonimity told BusinessDay that the coalition has presented the bank teller for the payment and they would be issued the forms later.
The coalition is led by the Head, One Nigeria Group, Mohammed Saleh.
Read also: 2023: Diaspora group urges APC, PDP to adopt AfDB’s Adesina as sole candidate
BusinessDay earlier reported that a body known as Diaspora Support Group of North America and Europe had called on Adesina to join the 2023 presidential race.
The group made the call in a statement signed by Tony Bello, Chairman of Shine Bridge Global Inc., Chesapeake-Virginia, USA made available to journalists in Abuja.
It said an Adesina Presidency will usher in a robust economic resurgence that could put an end to children drowning in the high seas of Africa and Europe in their quest for a better life.
The group also called on all well-meaning Nigerians to join in drafting Adesina into the 2023 presidential race with the confidence to emerge as Nigeria’s President in 2023.
According to the group, this is the time for the electorates to take on the civic responsibility of calling on more qualified Nigerians besides the usual career politicians to come and run for office.
It warned that should Nigerians fail to search for the best candidates now, the hope and faith for a better Nigeria will have to wait for another four years or even longer.
“We, the Diaspora Support Group of North America and Europe, hereby beckon to all well-meaning Nigerians and co-patriots, at home and abroad, to join us in drafting Dr Adesina into the Nigerian 2023 presidential race.
“By the way he has endeared himself to the generality of Nigerians across the board, we would have preferred having him run as an independent candidate if such was possible.
“It is therefore necessary that he contests under any of the two major Nigerian political parties, the APC or the PDP.”
Meanwhile, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education on has submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms for the APC presidential race.
Chidi Nwogu, leader of the group #ProjectNigeria which had obtained the forms last week submitted them on behalf of Nwajiuba.
Nwogu told journalists that: “We are a group of project Nigeria, we picked the form for the honourable minister of state for education honorable chukwuemeka Nwajiuba a presidential Aspirant.
“We are the first to purchase the forms. Today, we return the forms and this are the acknowledgement copy of the form. We are very confident that we have a candidate who is very clean and very uncorruptable.
“What the youths want is just a candidate of the old and the modern. A young candidate, intellectual and good capacity. We are very confident to win.”
