The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Tuesday, said that he is no longer in the race for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Speaker made his decision public in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen, in Abuja.
According to the Speaker, the decision to suspend his bid was taking after due consultation and consideration of the overall interest of the party.
He equally noted that going ahead with such a bid at this time would alter calculations on the political chess board of the APC.
The Speaker stressed that when he received the Presidential nomination forms, he was convinced that he had what it takes to make a difference.
This, he said, led him to embark on extensive consultations towards taking a decision on whether to participate or not – not to actualise a personal ambition, but rather to actualize our dream for a new Nigeria.
The statement partly read, “Having consulted widely, taking into consideration the concerns of some elders of the party, I have decided to suspend my participation in the presidential contest for now.”