Buhari discloses intention to run for re-election in 2019

-Buhari says he supported Akinwunmi Adesina to become AfDB president, despite serving as minister under PDP government

2019 Election: Buhari hints plan to contest in the future

President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated that he is likely to re-contest in the 2019 elections for a second term of four years.

Buhari gave the hint in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire when he jokingly canvassed for votes from the Nigerian community during an interactive session late Tuesday night.

The President is presently in Abidjan for the two- day conference of the fifth European Union-African Union (EU-AU) Summit.

During the interactive session, President Buhari  apologized for arriving late, adding that he had to wait for the two governors on his team to accompany him to the meeting in order that they may convince Nigerians to vote for him in the future.

Buhari said: “First I want to apologise for keeping you for too long sitting, 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 company of the president, I think that will be another vote for me in the future. I’m very pleased that they were able to turn up.”

Meanwhile, some APC governors had previously disclosed their adoption of President Buhari as the only candidate of the APC for the 2019 elections.

However, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is accompanied Buhari to Abidjan, had announced that the party would follow due democratic process in selecting its flagbearer in the 2019 presidential election.

READ ALSO: The “beautiful piece of information” Tinubu gave me – Buhari

Re-emphasising a part of his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, when he said he is for everybody and for nobody, Buhari said that is the reason he could support Akinwumi Adesina to become the for President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), despite Adesina served under . a minister a PDP-led government.

Adesina is first Nigerian to head the continental bank since its establishment in 1964

Reacting to Adesina’s appreciation of the current government, Buhari said: “The president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) 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 emphasised 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.”

Naija News also recalls that Buhari had applauded Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving him “a beautiful piece of information” which he had no knowledge of “until now.”

The president however said he would disclose the information to former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola.