By John Ikani
Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch contesting the position of United Kingdom prime minister crashed out of the race on Tuesday after the fourth round of voting.
Ms Badenoch, the former equalities minister, launched her bid to become the next prime minister by campaigning around tax cuts, low regulation, and attacking the UK’s net-zero target.
She mounted an impressive and insurgent campaign which saw her perform much more strongly than expected.
Ms Badenoch exited the race with 59 votes, while Rishi Sunak topped the fourth ballot with 118, adding three to his tally from Monday.
Penny Mordaunt came second, adding 10 supporters to reach 92, while Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, had the most cause for optimism with 86 votes, an increase of 15 in a day.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues and the party members who have supported me,” Ms Badenoch said on Twitter after the results were announced.
“This campaign began less than two weeks ago. What we’ve achieved demonstrates the level of support for our vision of change for our country and for the Conservative Party. Thank you.”
Another vote will take place on Wednesday, which will leave just two candidates.
Last week, Ms Badenoch berated Nigerian politicians for being selfish and failing to serve the country. She said she had seen first hand what happens when politicians convert public monies for their private affairs and how they “pollute not just the air, but the whole political atmosphere with their failure to serve others.”
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