Former All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has announced his withdrawal from active politics, saying he will now devote his full attention to building his technology business.
Garba, who disclosed this in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, said the decision followed careful reflection on the demands of his role as Executive Chairman of IPI Group Limited and Chief Platform Architect of the company and its subsidiaries.
He said the responsibilities required sustained personal attention and technical expertise that could not be effectively combined with extensive political activities.
“I have therefore chosen to give my full and exclusive attention to the development of our AI-First enterprise, and to the work of strengthening our community and our society through technology, for the greater good of all, and for the benefit of the future of our country and our continent,” he said.
Garba said attempting to combine his political engagements with his responsibilities at the technology company would leave one of the two areas affected.
“In all honesty, they cannot be carried alongside heavy political participation without one or the other suffering,” he said.
The former aspirant expressed appreciation to his supporters, political associates, party leaders and others who had supported his political journey over the past nine years.
He said his time in politics had shaped him and that he remained grateful for the confidence and opportunities he received during the period.
“To my friends, associates, party leaders, supporters and the general public, after careful reflection, I write to formally announce my decision to scale down all politically related activities and to focus exclusively on my responsibilities as Executive Chairman of IPI Group Limited and Chief Platform Architect of the Group and all its subsidiaries,” he stated.
Garba first sought the APC presidential ticket ahead of the 2019 general election, campaigning on issues including structural reforms, youth participation and national integration.
He remained in the race for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election but withdrew from the contest in 2022 over the cost of nomination.
At the time, the APC’s expression-of-interest and nomination forms were priced at N100m, a development Garba criticised as capable of commercialising politics and shutting out young and less-wealthy aspirants.
His campaign had reportedly raised about N83.2m through donations, which he said would be returned to contributors.
Despite withdrawing from the presidential contest, Garba remained publicly associated with the APC and continued to participate in political activities before Tuesday’s announcement.
His latest decision marks a shift from his sustained political involvement to a technology-focused career, with the former presidential aspirant saying his new priority is to develop an AI-focused enterprise and use technology to contribute to Nigeria and Africa’s future.
