2019: Buhari drops hint he will seek reelection to continue as Nigeria’s president

ABUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, dropped hint he will seek reelection to continue as Nigeria’s president.

The President was explaining to the Nigerian community in Abidjan the reason he travelled with Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel and his Bauchi State counterpart, Mohammed Abubakar when he dropped the hint.

He said the presence of the two governors at the meeting would be another vote for him when the time comes.

President Buhari is in Abidjan for the 5th European Union-African Union (EU-AU) Summit,  accompanied by the National Leader of  All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, who was instrumental to his emergence in 2015 after three unsuccessful attempts at the Presidency.

While apologizing for keeping some members of the Nigerian community in Abidjan, who had come for the interactive session waiting, President Buhari explained that he insisted on having the two governors present so that Nigerians in Côte D’Ivoire from the two states will be happy that he was accompanied by their governors and that might earn him votes in future.

He said: “First, I want to apologise for keeping you too long, 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.”

This subtle way of announcing his intentions to contest in the 2019 election attracted laughter and accolades.

His support for  AfDB’s Adesina

The President also said his support for the President of  African Development Bank, AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, despite serving as minister in a PDP-led government, was to further confirm his remarks at his inauguration on May 29, 2015, that he belonged to everybody and to nobody in particular.

The President was reacting to Adesina’s gratitude to his administration for supporting him to get the job, which made him the first  Nigerian to head the continental bank since its creation in 1964.

For everybody, for nobody

“The president of African Development Bank, AfDB, forgot to mention that he was serving in the PDP government as minister but all the same, I picked 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 given the opportunity to serve as long as you are qualified,’’ Buhari said.

President Buhari also thanked the national   leader of All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for bringing him a beautiful piece of information which he was not aware of until now.

Buhari, however, did not disclose what piece of information it was but promised to discuss it in detail with Tinubu.

He said: “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 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.”

Adesina in his remarks, noted that the economy picked up soon after the President’s health improved.

“So it seems there is a correlation between the President’s health and the improved economy,’’ Adesina said.