Fela Durotoye, presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), has expressed readiness to step down for either Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) or Kingsley Moghalu, presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), if a transparent process to select a consensus candidate produces someone other than himself.
Durotoye said this on Thursday in response to the withdrawal of Oby Ezekwesili, presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), from the race. Ezekwesili withdrew from the race on THursday, citing the need to help build a coalition to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election.
Durotoye has now expressed readiness to follow suit.
“I have always believed that leadership is about service and sacrifice and today, I would like to commend Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili @obyezeks for leading the charge to forming a viable coalition to presenting a Consensus Candidate for the 2019 Presidential elections,” he said.
“To ensure that an alliance is formed and we present a united front, I AM READY to come into any coalition talks with my brothers Omoyele Sowore @yelesho and Prof. Kingsley Moghalu @moghalukingsley and to submit myself to any transparent process that will help us arrive at a selection of a Consensus Candidate from amongst us.
“To be clear, if the process produces any other candidate apart from myself, I AM READY to support whoever the consensus candidate is and to do all I can to support the coalition to win the 2019 Presidential elections for our generation.
“Once again, I implore the frontline candidates in our generation. Let us come together and seize this historic window of opportunity for our generation to select one of us to go ahead of us … so that ALL OF US can come together and speak with one voice at the 2019 General Elections. Together, we can do the perceived impossible. Our generation is depending on us. We must not let them down.”
