Eunice Atuejide, the presidential candidate of the National Interest Party (NIP), and the only female candidate at the 2019 polls, has backed out of the presidential race. The candidate also revealed that she will be supporting the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at tomorrow’s polls.

In a statement presented to the press on Wednesday, Atuejide announced that she was stepping down because her race for the presidency was set to end on February 16, which it did. Due to the election postponement, extending her campaign beyond the 16th was not in her plans and as a result, she must step down.

The founder and chairperson of the party explained that the presidential race is now between incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Weighing both candidate’s pros and cons, Atuejide stated that she would fully support the PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar at the polls, regardless of PDP’s shortcomings.

“I choose to fight for the benefit of every Nigerian on the side of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. I cannot defend PDP for giving us bad leadership from 1999 to 2015, yet I cannot help but blame the APC for doing a much worse job.”

“To my mind, the political party platform is not the real issue nonetheless, it’s either Alhaji Atiku Abubakar under the PDP or President Buhari under the APC this time.

“I make bold to state unequivocally that I stand with Atiku under the PDP this time.”

Shedding more light on her motivation for backing the PDP despite its past failures, Atuejide cited Atiku’s running mate, former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi.

“Mr Abubakar picked an amazing VP. In fact, even though I have never met or spoken to Peter Obi, it is thanks to him that I am today the Founder and National Chairman of a youth-led, digitally organized political party (NIP). His exemplary leadership as Governor of Anambra State led me and several of my team members to politics,” she said.

Atuejide, a lawyer, has spoken publicly against President Muhammadu Buhari, going as far as calling the president mentally and physically unfit to remain in office, and threatening legal action if he is voted back into government.

She, however, expressed hope that Atiku Abubakar would “provide Nigerians with leadership which will always put the interest of Nigerians first.”

Her withdrawal from the race marks the second time a female candidate is stepping down from the 2019 Presidential Elections, after the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria’s presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili.