2023: Buhari ally, Mokelu to declare for presidency

A former Minister of Information under the late Gen Sani Abacha regime, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu, has joined the presidential race.

The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and a close ally of the President Muhammadu Buhari, has reportedly concluded plans to obtain the APC expression of interest and nomination forms.

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The ex-minister was said to have been assured of support by some elements in the presidency.

Mokelu is expected to engage with party members in the South-East and in his Ubolo Unodu Ward 1, Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on his presidential aspiration.

The former minister who was the convener of ‘I Stand With Buhari’ Movement in 2018, was said to be a regular visitor to the Presidential Villa.

The ex-minister was said to have received the nod of some elements in the Presidency a few weeks ago, prompting him to reach out to APC stakeholders about his intention to contest in the 2023 presidency.

A delegate to the National Constitutional Conference of 1994/95, Mokelu is reputed for his integrity and high level of political and social thought.

As minister under Abacha, he was said to have left a legacy of accountability and probity and was also appointed into the National Council of Nigerian Vision which was then the nation’s economic planning council.