A presidential hopeful on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abubakar Alkali, has withdrawn from the race, citing “the outrageous cost of the forms” as reasons for his decision.
Alkali, who addressed journalists on Friday in Abuja, however, endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Sokoto central senatorial district aspirant on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) called on his supporters to join hands with the current administration to continue in its job of delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
The Sokoto born oil and gas consultant appealed to the leadership of the APC to do something about the cost of nomination forms, saying it has deprived so many young aspirants with good ideas.
“The purpose of this press conference is that I’m here to announce my withrawal 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,” he said.
