Former Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has alerted of a concerted effort “by some well-connected Nigerians” to sabotage her campaign for the post of the Director General of WTO.
Okonjo-Iweala, whose candidacy has been receiving strong from across the world, was nominated by President Muhammaed Buhari to replace Agah as Nigeria’s candidate for the global post.
Her Media Adviser, Paul C Nwabuikwu, in a statement in Abuja, on Friday, said: “As part of this campaign, these persons and their cohorts are peddling outright lies and distortions designed to invent a non-existent “scandal” in order to paint the Candidate and her campaign in negative light.
“An example of this is the effort to misrepresent the Campaign’s relationship with Mercury Communications, one of the organizations and individuals that have done voluntary, pro bono work for the Campaign.
“As the attached statement confirms, Mercury was never formally engaged by Dr Okonjo-Iweala and its work for the Campaign was done strictly on volunteer basis.
“Against this background, the attempt by these elements to manufacture a “controversy” in the local and international media by distorting the facts and creating falsehoods to link the Campaign with some of Mercury’s current or past clients to push a false impression is contemptible.
“It is sad that the elements behind this campaign are placing their squalid concerns above the interests of the country.”
While urging “all well-meaning Nigerians to ignore this condemnable effort,” Nwabuikwu disclosed in the statement that “Dr Okonjo-Iweala is humbled that her campaign is progressing in the right direction and that her candidacy has been embraced by many Nigerians, including a growing number of spirited volunteers.”
“She deeply appreciates the strong show of support by both the Presidency and Nigerians, despite the efforts of the persons engaged in this pull her down (PhD) exercise.
“She will continue to do her best to make her candidacy count for the country,” he said.
A report by POLITICO, a reputed US media platform, rates the chances of Okonjo-Iweala who currently sits on the board of Twitter on top of previously being the number two person at the World Bank, high.
The news medium believes that Okonjo-Iweala has all the requisite experience needed to head the WTO but the politics among African leaders could see her lose out completely.
POLITICO,in its recent edition, reports that there are two other candidates being considered by the African Union and this could both hamper Okonjo-Iweala’s chances of securing the job or Africa’s opportunity to clinch the position to other continents also vying for the spot.
Africa is well-positioned to land the world’s leading trade job but only if its politicians can rally behind a unifying candidate, according to the medium.
At the close of nominations at 6:00pm in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday, three out of the eight candidates to head the WTO are Africans but this three-way split poses immediate hurdles for the continent’s chances.
The news medium further reported the African candidates are boosted by a growing consensus in Geneva that it was time for an African trade chief as the continent had never held the post while other regions such as Europe have held it several times.
However, both African representatives in Geneva and officials of the African Union have failed to back a single candidate so far.
The main process starts in mid-July when the WTO’s highest body, the General Council, meets the candidates for the first time, according to a document distributed to delegations and seen by POLITICO.
POLITICO analysis of the candidates rates both Okonjo-Iweala and Amina Mohamed of Kenya 8/10 to succeed in the race for the job while the other African in the frame, Hamid Mamdouh of Egypt has 6/10 chance of emerging the head of the global organisation.
The VOA reported that in a surprise move in mid-May, Azevedo, 62, announced that he would end his second four-year term early for personal reasons, forcing the Geneva-based WTO’s 164 member states to come up with a successor in just three months instead of the usual nine.
According to VOA News, rather than an election, the selection procedure relies on finding consensus, with candidates gradually being eliminated in turn.
The WTO finds itself caught in the middle of rising tensions between the United States and China, and if the process becomes “heavily politicized, that could block things up”, a diplomatic source told AFP.
If a consensus cannot be reached in time, one of the four deputy directors-general will take the reins in September on a caretaker basis.
