A presidential hopeful under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abubakar Alkali, has announced his withdrawal from the contest ahead of the primaries citing what he termed as “the outrageous cost of the forms.”

 

Alkali, who contested for the senate seat for Sokoto central zone in 2011, under Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), has however endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari in his quest for a second term in 2019, adding that as a local party man, he was moved to back the president after the APC adopted him as its sole candidate.

 

In a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, he called on his supporters to join hands with the current administration to continue in its job of delivering on democracy dividends to Nigerians.

 

The Sokoto-born oil and gas consultant called on the leadership of APC to do something about the cost of nomination forms, saying such has deprived so many young aspirants with good ideas which would have improved the nation.

 

“The purpose of this press conference is that I’m here to announce my withdrawal from the contest for the office of the president and the reasons for the withdrawal are not far fetched. Majorly, one of the reasons is that the APC has picked president Muhammadu Buhari has its sole consensus candidate for the 2019 general election, and as a loyal party member, I have to go by the rule and dictate of the party and that is the why I am aligning fully and totally with the position of our great party, and I fully support the decision to pick Mr President as a consensus candidate of our great party.

 

Speaking on the N45m cost of APC nomination form, Alkali, who founded APC Scotland, UK chapter and became its chairman, founded Buhari support group, Scotland, UK in 2014, declared that he and many others could not afford the cost.

 

“I also want to use this opportunity to speak my mind regarding the cost of the nomination form, which I will say, is outrageous, it is also the reason I withdrew.

 

“I think the cost of the form is outrageous and also, it does not depict the ethics of our democracy. Actually, the cost of this form, to me, prevented sincere and genuine aspirants from aspiring for the office and it is not in tandem with the maxim of the NotTooYoungToRun movement. Also, a lot of the youths who have sincere concern for this country cannot afford this outrageous cost.

 

“I appeal to our party, going forward to look at this issue very seriously.” Alkali holds PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Robert Gordon University (RGU) Aberdeen among other academic qualifications.

 

 

Source: Tribune