Another presidential hopeful on the platform of the Congress of all progressives (APC), Gbenga Olawepo-Kashim, has withdrawn from the race.
Olawepo-Hashim, in a statement from his media office on Friday in Abuja, said “certain events have required my withdrawal from the 2023 presidential race, as a result of which I did not choose the nomination form.”
The challenger withdrew a few hours after Labor and Employment Minister Chris Ngige dropped out of the presidential race.
President Muhammadu Buhari held a farewell session for his cabinet members running for different elective positions on Friday.
Mr. Olawepo-Hashim, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy Secretary for National Publicity, ran for President in the 2019 election on the Alliance for New Nigeria (AAN) ticket.
The businessman and former student activist joined APC in August 2021 and declared earlier this month to run for president on the ruling party’s platform in 2023.
He said that he withdrew from the race after a series of consultations and reflections on current affairs on the political scene.
Read the full statement below
PRESS RELEASE
OLAWEPO-HASHIM WITHDRAWS 2023 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, SAYS ‘MY OWN DAY WILL COME’
Friday, May 13, 2022, Abuja, Nigeria:
After a series of consultations and reflections on current developments on the political scene, a top contender in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has withdrawn from the 2023 presidential contest, saying that “his own day will come,” the statement said.
In a statement from her press office in Abuja on Friday, Olawepo-Hashim explained that although her decision to participate was to offer a national platform for progressive forces that believe in the necessity and possibility of a new Nigeria, capable of protecting itself from threats internal and external, and bring prosperity to all its people, “certain events have required my withdrawal from the 2023 presidential race, as a result of which I did not choose the form of nomination.”
He added that “it is not backing down from an unwillingness to fight for our collective determination and aspiration for a New Nigeria, a fight that has attracted enormous support. Sometimes WILL and RESOLUTION, energy and preparation may not be enough to participate in a match.
He also maintained that his aspiration “is not an ambition but a historical ballast, as a team player.”
“My current political quest must now bow to our collective national interest. This is not about me but about Nigeria,” she said.
According to him, “I stepped aside believing that another day would come. I hope that our party can still find a candidate for the 2023 elections who will unite and protect our country. One that runs an inclusive government and builds a prosperous economy that leaves no one behind. I leave the race believing that by the Grace of God my own day will come!”
He expressed his thanks to those who have connected with his messages and those who have offered support and prayers, assuring that pausing his presidential run is not giving up the fight for a better Nigeria, “a fight I have been committed to for most of my life.” my adult life.” life.”
“It is a difficult decision for me, but in the current circumstances it is the best I can do in my judgment,” he said.
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