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ThThe main candidate for the Nigerian presidential election announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy to help form a coalition to defeat the ruling party, the Progressive Congress.
Oby Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) announced its decision Thursday in a series of publications on Twitter.
"I decided to withdraw from the presidential race and contribute to the constitution of a coalition for a viable alternative to the #APCPDP in the 2019 general elections," she said.
"This coalition for a viable alternative is more than ever an urgent mission for and on behalf of the citizens," she added.
Over the past three months, I have spoken privately with other candidates to create a coalition that would allow Nigerians to make their choice without feeling helpless before the government. #APCPDP.
– Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) August 24, 2019
His decision to resign surprised some of his supporters.
"I am sad that she has resigned, but I am happy that the national good is what she is thinking about. His decision to step down and promote a coalition of all the smaller parties as we prepare for the 2019 presidential elections is testament to true leadership, "said Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, an activist for the United States. gender equality in Al Jazeera.
"We need a formidable coalition capable of dealing with these two main parties – PDP and APC," Effah-Chukwuma said.
Only the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) party and the Democratic People's Party (PDP) have won the country's presidential elections since the reestablishment of democratic rule in 1999.
Ezekwesili's withdrawal leaves outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar among the main candidates for the election, scheduled for Feb. 16.
Political commentator Gbenga Soloki told Al Jazeera that the decision to form a coalition against major parties would not change the political landscape.
"I do not really see the alleged staged force, voters are largely illiterate and have sympathy for the All Progressive Congress or the opposition PDP," Soloki said.
"The moment is bad and will not produce any appreciable result, then comes the question of the sincerity of those who are part of the third force.Nigeria is not ripe for that," he added.
Ezekwesili, a two-time minister and former vice president for Africa at the World Bank, co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls campaign to raise awareness among more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014.
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