Sole female presidential candidate accuses her party — APM — of planning to align with PDP

Chichi Ojei, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), says there’s a plot by the party to align with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the elections.

In a statement issued on Thursday night, Ojei said the scheme is being orchestrated by the party’s national executive committee (NEC).

Ojei said as the only female presidential candidate in the race, the NEC’s decision is a “huge setback” for Nigerian women and an “insult” to her supporters.

“As the only female Presidential candidate in the 2023 General Elections under the platform of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), I hereby call my fellow women and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians to rescue the country from intimidation, harassment and further alienation of the female gender in Nigeria´s political development,” the statement reads.

“My emergence as the only female Presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential race is one that was warmly received by many Nigerians from across the board because they believe it has created room for gender inclusion in the forthcoming presidential elections as women are the most marginalized demography of electorates.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that 93,469,008 registered voters, comprising 49,054,162 males and 44,414,846 females are eligible to vote in this year’s general elections. A breakdown of the figure showed that the males constitute 52.5 percent, while the females make up 47.5 per cent of the total figure.

“As the only female Presidential candidate in the race, the fate and chances of almost 45 million women who make up a large percentage of the electorates are currently being threatened.

“Based on my commitment, character and decision to win this presidential election, it has come to the notice of my campaign council that the National executive council (NEC) members of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) have connived because of greed to truncate the chances of producing the first female President of Nigeria and I hereby distance myself from this unscrupulous and despicable endorsement.

“I consider this a huge setback for Nigerian women and an insult to my teeming supporters and party faithful, seeing that the only presidential candidate is about to be taken out of the league by a platform that initially believed in her vision, capacity and capability to set the country on a steady path of continues positive transformation.”

Ojei asked women, youths and the international community to “rise in defence of our collective humanity, and for the sake of equity, fairness and justice stop the party leadership from embarking on such shameful and disappointing act”.