2019: Buhari drops hint he’ll contest for re-election

It is apparent President Muhammadu Buhari is going to seek re-election in 2019. He hinted Tuesday night that his ambition for a second term was the reason he had Akwa Ibom and Bauchi states governors Udom Emmanuel and Mohammed Abubakar respectively, accompany him to Cote d’Ivoire.

The president made this revelation during an interactive session with Nigeria community in Abidjan, the capital of Cote D’Ivoire, explaining that the presence of the two governors will be another vote for him when he seeks for re-election.

Buhari, who is currently in Abidjan for the 5th European Union-African Union (EU-AU) Summit, aside the two governors, also has the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, among those who accompanied him to the summit.

Addressing the members of Nigerian community in Abidjan he said, “First I want to apologize for keeping you for too long seating, this is because I insisted on the governors attending this meeting. This is why I came along with them so that when we are going to meet you, when you are going to meet the rest of Nigerians if you tell them that their governors were in the accompany of the president, I think that will be another vote for me in future. I’m very pleased that they were able to turn up.”

President Buhari had also at the occasion said he supports the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina.

He noted that his support for Adesina who served as a minister in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led government, was to confirm his remarks at his inauguration on May 29, 2015, that he belonged to everybody and to nobody.

He was responding to the former minister’s gratitude to the support Buhari’s administration gave him which culminated in him becoming the first Nigerian to head the continental bank since it was set up in 1964.

Buhari said, “The president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), who forgot to mention that he was serving in the PDP government as minister but all the same I picked him and recommended him for AfDB. I think it emphasized what I said during my swearing in that I’m for everybody, I’m for nobody. As long as you are a Nigerian be prepared to be on the receiving end from me.”

Buhari also expressed his gratitude to Tinubu for bringing him a beautiful piece of information, (not disclosed) which according to him, he was never aware of.

“I also thank our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has brought me a very beautiful piece of information which I was not aware of it until I sat down and read it this evening (Tuesday night). Thank you very much for your hard work and I will discuss that paper with you.”

Earlier in his remarks, Adesina had said that Nigeria’s economy picked up soon after the President’s health and said that “it seems there is a correlation between the President’s health and the improved economy.”
Adesina said, “I want to thank you immensely. I want to thank God for your health because I must say that for all of us that has been a big concern. But seeing you fit as a fiddle and seeing you back in action, we thank God for that and may God continue to give you great strength.

“Mr. President as you must have noticed, there is a very strong correlation between your health and the economy and when you came back the economy picked up after that. So we wish you great health so that the economy can continue to pick.

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“I also want to congratulate you for the economic growth and recovery plan that you have put in place and the incredible plan that you have put in place to bring the economy out of recession and also in terms of the fact that Nigeria has moved up in the World Bank ease of doing business index.

“Is to your leadership, vision and commitment that we want to from the African Development Bank commend you Mr. President and to assure you of our strong support behind you and your government for the efforts to try and move Nigeria forward. We are solidly behind you, you can count on that.

“I was with you in Paris where you led the efforts in reviving the Lake Chad Basin. As you know Mr. President, the bank is very strongly behind that. We put in $250 million to support the northeast of Nigeria rebuilding. I know you were criticized for rebuilding but I don’t see anything wrong, if things get destroyed they have to be rebuilt and the African Development Bank has contributed $250 million towards that.”

 

 

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