Despite the considerable attention the presidential primary elections of the two leading political parties in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), received, some big names, who lost in the race have gone silent four months after the exercise.
While the PDP conducted its presidential primary election on May 28, 2022 during which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged the party’s standard bearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu clinched the the APC presidential ticket, flooring the like of Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and Rotimi Amaechi in the primary conducted on June 10, 2022.
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Campaigns by political parties officially started on September 28, but some aspirants who were vibrant before the primaries are no longer active in the political activities.
Daily Trust highlughts some big names who have gone silent for whatever reason, less than four months to the 2023 presidential election.
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is the immediate past Minister of Transportation of Nigeria, a position he held from 2015 to April 2022 when he resigned to contest the APC presidential ticket.
He was a two-term governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007.
Amaechi came second in the APC presidential primary behind Tinubu, polling 316 votes. Through out the night of the primary election, Amaechi kept on making the headlines.
Anyim Pius Anyim
Born on 19 February 1961, Anyim Pius Anyim was senate president from 2000 to 2003.
He was also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) during Goodluck Jonathan presidency.
In 1999 he was elected Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State. In the last primaries, he also jostled for the PDP presidential ticket in a bid to occupy the highest office in the land. While some other aspirants like the publisher of Ovation magazine and Nyesome Wike continued to make the headlines after the primaries, Anyim has been on low key.
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba was the immediate past Minister of State for Education, a position he occupied from 2019 until he resigned on April 28 after picking the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination form to aspire for President in 2023.
The Imo State born politician and lawyer, previously served as a Chairman of TETFund Board of Trustees. Like Amaechi, Nwajuba has remained passive as the APC strategises to retain power in 2023.
Rochas Anayo Okorocha
Rochas Anayo Okorocha was a two-term governor of Imo State and the current senator representing Imo West Senatorial District.
A few days to the primaries, Okorocha was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after over six hours of a siege to his house in Abuja.
He eventually participated in the primary election and spoke passionately while addressing the crowd at the event. However, he has not been lending his voice to the political discussions as the race to the 2023 heats up.
Okorocha had been in PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before he joined the APC. In April 2011, Okorocha defected from PDP to APGA to run for Imo State governorship.
The result was that a few weeks later, in December 2010, the APGA suspended Okorocha from the party over what it described as anti-party activities pending an investigation of his conduct.
Mohammed Hayatu-deen
Mohammed Hayatu-deen was born on September 15, 1953 in Bama, Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. He was the Director/Chief Executive Officer, FSB International Bank PLC.
The banker turned politician contested the PDP presidential ticket and was vocal in the build up to the primaries. Unlike some other former presidential aspirants of the party, he has not been politically active after the primaries.
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