By RFIPalled on 24-01-2019Modified on 24-01-2019 at 23:17

In Nigeria, there are only 72 candidates to compete for the highest office. The main candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, withdrew from the race on Thursday. Former Minister of Education who was particularly known by setting up the movement "Bring Back Our Girls" in support of 280 high school girls abducted in Chibok in April 2014. She now intends to form an opposition coalition.

It was on Twitter that Oby Ezekwesili announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. A succession of messages, published Thursday morning. Messages in which the former Minister of Education under President Olusegun Obansajo, explains withdrawing after " extensive consultations with leaders from diverse backgrounds across the country ".

In the 2019 general elections, we have decided to make a transition to a viable alternative to the APCPDP in the 2019 general elections.

Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) January 24, 2019

The former vice-president of the Africa Department of the World Bank, co-founder of the "Bring Back our Girls" movement, announces that she will now focus on " building a real opposition coalition ". Coalition that would be an alternative to the two major parties, namely: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muhammadu Buhari.

" It has become a necessity more than ever, " said the woman who was selected to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her work against corruption (she founded the NGO Transparency International).

On social networks, this statement by Mrs. Ezekwesili is reviving the hope of seeing another opposition force after the failure last year of PACT, an initiative led by several small candidates. But three weeks before the presidential election, it's difficult to bring out a real challenger.

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