Despite that the July 8, 2020, deadline for the closure of nominations for the elections is more than a month away, the Egyptian government sent a letter to the Ministerial Committee on Candidatures for the elections to reject Okonjo-Iweala’s nomination.
In confirming Okonjo Iweala’s nomination, President Buhari said Nigeria was replacing a previous Nigerian nominee for the post, Yonov Frederick Agah, who was being withdrawn.
But the Egyptian government in its communication to the Permanent Missions of the WTO Member States of the Ministerial Committee on Candidatures said the decision to withdraw Agah’s candidature meant Nigeria forfeited its chance to participate in the race.
In the memo, Egypt said as far as it was concerned, 3 candidates, representing Benin Republic, Egypt and Nigeria, had already obtained the endorsement of the Executive Council to contest the position of the WTO Director General vide its decision .
Okonjo-Iweala has a global stature as a former Managing Director in charge of Operations of the World Bank, finance expert, economist and international development professional with over 30 years experience.
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