Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Minister of Finance and the country’s candidate for the leadership of the World Trade Organisation, has said powerful and well-connected forces were working against her candidacy.
Okonjo-Iweala whose candidacy is dividing the African Union, in a statement by her media adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, said those against her candidacy were manufacturing controversy to link her to.
Nwabuikwu said, “It has come to our attention that there is an ongoing effort by some well-connected Nigerians to sabotage the campaign of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the country’s candidate for Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. 
“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.
“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.
“We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to ignore this condemnable effort.”
