With two words, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Thursday, roundly rejected the sudden withdrawal of Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, presidential flag-bearer of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, from the February 16, 2019, presidential vote: “Too late”!
Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, made the declaration while reacting to the withdrawal of Ezekwesili and others, during a chat with newsmen.
Osaze-Uzzi said it had become too late for any candidate to step aside since the commission had, last week, released the final list of candidates. And despite the withdrawals, the logo of the parties would still appear on the ballot paper on February 16.
“According to the Electoral Act,” Osaze-Uzzi continues, “there is a time for withdrawal and that time has passed. We have published a list of candidates and on election day, these are the parties that you will see. It is too late.”
Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, and champion of the #Bringbackourgirls Campaign, caused had some stir on Thursday when she suddenly announced that she was quitting the race to form a coalition with like minds in order to win the vote.
Ezekwesili’s withdrawal might not be the end of such quitting, giving the declaration, also on Thursday, by Mr. Fela Durotoye, presidential standard-bearer of the Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, that he was ready to step down, like the former Minister, and form a coalition that could dislodge President Muhammadu Buhari at the polls.