Okonjo-Iweala Denies Presidential Ambition, Calls It “Utterly Ridiculous”

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has ruled out standing for President in the 2020 election.

Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister and economics minister, has refuted media reports that she is considering running for president in 2023, calling the assertions “utterly ludicrous” and “absolutely wrong.”

Some trade officials in Geneva have speculated that she will retire as Director-General of the World Trade Organization in order to run for President of Nigeria in 2023.

However, in a statement to Bloomberg News on October 1, 2021, Okonjo-Iweala denied that she was preparing to resign from the WTO in order to run for Nigeria’s top job in 2023, claiming she had no interest in doing so.

She told Bloomberg the following:
“I just arrived. I’m having fun with what I’m doing. It’s a thrilling work, and I’m hoping to achieve some success here.”

She dismissed the rumors as “completely ludicrous,” insisting that she is focused on executing her work as WTO Director-General and achieving some of the organization’s goals.