My presidential bid still on course, says Moghalu

Kingsley Moghalu, presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), has withdrawn from the Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT) which produced Fela Durotoye as its consensus candidate ahead of 2019 elections.

PACT is made up of some 18 presidential hopefuls who came together to form a united front ahead of the elections.

Durotoye, who is of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), was said to have emerged the consensus candidate of the coalition in an election which held in Abuja on Thursday.

But in a statement issued after the election, Moghalu said he is pressing ahead with his presidential ambition despite the outcome of the exercise.

He said contrary to reports, Durotoye could not be termed a consensus candidate as only seven of the presidential aspirants participated in the election.

The statement read: “The reasons I have pulled out of the PACT arrangement are as follows: 1.The arrangement had unravelled even before the final selection of the consensus candidate. Only seven aspirants participated in the final voting out of the original 18 aspirants, mainly because many of the aspirants had withdrawn from the process.

“Four candidates who were present in the meeting this morning withdrew from the process even while the voting process was ongoing. Therefore, PACT did not produce a truly consensus candidate.

“Clause 13 of the PACT Memorandum of Understanding asserts the supremacy of the constitutional rights of the aspirants to pursue their political aspirations.”

Moghalu added that he determination to continue the presidential race “without distraction” is still in the national interest and “in deference to the overwhelming outpouring of support for my candidacy from all parts of Nigeria.”

“I will remain focused on the objective of providing a competent leadership that will help unite our country and build a nation, wage a decisive war against poverty and unemployment, and restore respect for Nigeria in the society of nations,” he said.