By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Immediate past Minister of State for Education and presidential aspirant , Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has disclosed that he refused to participate in the ongoing convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the ticket was not zoned to the south east where he hails from.
In a press statement signed by Chinedum Nwajiuba, the aspirant, a former member of the House of Representatives who is from Imo State, said he joined the race with the understanding that the slot will go to his zone.
He explained: “The understanding from the highest levels prior to his involvement, and considering his role in the founding of the APC, was that of consensus as was with the National Chairmanship a few months ago.
“With that understanding, the presidential ticket was to come to the South, and the south-east.
“This has been the hope till the end of the negotiations. He, not wanting to be part of the Dollar and Naira bazaar, is convinced that what Nigeria needs now is no more of the same thing that has kept Nigeria at the low level it has been.
“Our challenges as a country cannot be addressed at the same energy level by which they were created.”
Nwajiuba was one of the first to purchase the party’s N100 million forms to contest for the APC presidential ticket in April, 2022, leading to a backlash from Nigerians who said it was insensitive for him to do so when students were at home due to a prolonged strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
It was later said that a support group, Project Nigeria, bought the N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms for him.