Nigeria’s former education minister and co-founder of the Bring Back Our Girls movement Oby Ezekwesili has joined the growing number of persons aiming to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari when Nigeria goes to poll early 2019.
The former vice president of the World Bank announced her intention to run for president in a statement.
But she is yet to mention on which party’s platform she intends to achieve her aim as Nigeria’s electoral law does not allow for an independent candidacy.
“I want to run for, and win, the 2019 presidential election to serve and put the citizens first by mobilizing and taking decisive actions on a number of big ideas that will help all of us build an exceptional nation,” Ezekwesili said in the statement.
Apart from mobilising a global army of activists to demand the rescue of Chibok girls, who were kidnapped from the school hostels in 2014, Ezekwesili has constantly criticised the Nigerian government for its shortcomings.
She has also used her growing influence on social media to mobilise citizen participation in political processes.
“Governance keeps worsening. So we the citizens have decided to get into the political arena to make things right,” she said.