2023: APGA picks ex-labour union activist as vice presidential candidate

A former labour union activist and social crusader, Abdullahi Muhammed Koli, has been nominated as the vice presidential candidate to Prof Peter Umeadi, the flag bearer of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to contest the 2023 presidential election.

Umeadi who is a former Chief Judge of Anambra State, had earlier emerged as the presidential flag bearer of the party.

A press statement by his Campaign Organisation made available to journalists in Awka on Sunday described Kofi who had led many struggles for the welfare of Nigerian workers in his capacity as chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Bauch State from 1999 to 2002.

The statement partly reads: “Ahead of the June 17th deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for submission of party candidates to the INEC online portal, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 general election, Prof Peter Umeadi has nominated Comrade Abdullahi Muhammed Koli as his vice presidential candidate( running mate).”

Umeadi had during his nomination revealed that what is uppermost in his mind “is how to reconcile with ourselves across the length and breadth of Nigeria.”

He promised to leverage his background as a legal practitioner to reposition the country where the rule of law would prevail, noting that Nigerians deserved a better country.

He said: “I am stepping out with the triple banner of rule of law, separation of powers and due process. We are entitled to a country better run than we have now.

“We need to change the way we think so we can change the way we do things. Our triple banner should form the substructure for a new Nigeria which an APGA government at the centre under my watch would bring about.

“Uppermost in my mind is how to reconcile with ourselves across the length and breadth of our dear country. In a new political culture, I undertake to galvanize the old, young, rich, poor, literate or not from different religious persuasions and from all six geo-political zones to deliver a new Nigeria where justice would reign for all citizens equally irrespective of tribe or status.

“I will work assiduously for sound education, affordable health care, food on the table, security of life and property and ability to achieve life ambitions in a setting presenting a level playing field and pre-determined standards.

“I pledge also to remove my personal interest in its entirety from the picture in the course of my official duties if elected. We expect to usher in patriotism, collective reconstruction of our economy, upliftment of all segments of our society, promoting probity, accountability and dedication in our public and private lives.”