2023: Group picks nomination form for AfDB president, Adesina

•Buhari To Meet APC Govs, Leaders On Primaries
•27 Aspirants Pay, 24 Collect APC Presidential Forms

A coalition of groups, yesterday, purchased All Progressives Congress (APC) N100m Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, to contest for the 2023 presidency.

Sources close to the group told The Guardian that the pro- Adesina group would storm the party Secretariat today (Sunday) by noon to pick the form.

Party sources also disclosed that 27 presidential aspirants had paid for their nomination forms but 22 approached the secretariat to collect the forms, hoping that the remaining four aspirants, who were yet to collect their forms would show up by tomorrow (Monday) to do so.

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari would soon meet some APC governors and party chieftains to show direction the primaries would go and possibly give a further clue on his preferred candidate.

A coalition of 28 groups that paid for Adesina’ s form included 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.

They raised the N100m fee to purchase the forms for the former minister.

The coalition is led by the Head, One Nigeria Group, Mohammed Saleh.

The payment acknowledgement slip exclusively carried Adesina’s name as the recipient of the forms.

Although the last six weeks had seen many groups appealing to Adesina to throw his hat into the ring, but feelers from the AfDB boss during the week, did not support the recent development. He was said to have declined interest to join politics.

However, efforts to get his reactions to the yesterday’s development was not successful. The purchase of the form kept many guessing, if he had agreed to join the race or wanted to remain apolitical.

But some of his supporters, yesterday, claimed that the extension of closing date for APC nomination form to Monday instead of Friday, was to allow powerful groups in the presidency and the party to conclude their consultations with Adesina and convince him to join the race.

A source said: “The big masquerade has joined the race and the picture is getting clearer, even for the blind to see.”

The development is coming amid reports about the position of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele about the form procured for him by his supporters to join the race.

But sources said some forces close to the President were mounting pressure on him to endorse a professional that could fix Nigeria’s economy as the best legacy for the country.

To this clique, the role played by World Bank Vice President, Prof. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala has been a reference point in the international community and Buhari should also hand over to professional of that nature to earn respect of the international community and put Nigeria’s economy on the path of quick recovery.