Report on Buhari’s one-term Presidency a misquote – Adesina

Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina has described as a
`misquote’ the report that President Muhammadu Buhari had pledged
only one term presidency and will never seek re-election in view of
his age status.

President Buhari, 75, had on Monday shortly before he left for
London, declared his intention to run for presidential election in
2019.

Adesina, who is the President’s Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity and currently on the entourage of the president to
London, was reacting to a contributor on Channel television
programme via Skype, on Tuesday.

Yemi Akinbode, who contributed to the programme, said he was not
surprised by the president’s declaration in spite of his pledge in
2014 not to seek re-election.

“No, that’s misquote, he was never, never quoted that way.

“If there is anything on record like that is a misquote because
I was with him in South Africa when that issue came when he said,
oh, he wished he had become president at the time he was a military
governor that he would have done a lot for Nigeria.

“And the other happened in 2011. When he was running in 2011 he
said, yes he would be a president for one term. But did he win in
that year, no.

“The victory came in 2015. So, that being quoted in 2011 is not
applicable again because he did not win that year.’’

Akinbode said: “It didn’t come as a surprise to me. We have seen
indications that the president was going to run a long time
ago.

“The president in 2014 said that he was only going to run for
one term because of his age.’’

But the presidential aide maintained that it was not on record
that Buhari had told the leadership of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) or any member of the party that he would do only one
term in office.

On the purported vote of no confidence allegedly passed on the
President by Northern Elders Forum and the Council for Shariah,
Adesina said the two groups had the constitutional right to support
anybody vying for political office in the country.

He cited an example of a former president of the country who
equally failed to secure the votes in his state and region but
ended up winning the presidential election twice.

On whether the president had obtained the support of his doctors
before making his declaration on Monday, Adesina said Buhari was a
responsible man who would never go against the advice of his
medical personnel.

He said: “The President is a very responsible man. If there had
been any warning, any red light from his doctor, you know, he
wouldn’t have ventured into it, unless you are telling me there is
something you know that I don’t know.

“But I know the President, as a very, very responsible man. If
there was any warning he wouldn’t do it.’’

Adesina, who said that the president took him and other
presidential aides unaware when he announced his intention to run
for re-election in 2019.

He said the president’s declaration was in reaction to appeals
by millions of Nigerians.

“Yes, there had been a lot of appeals. I have served in
different meetings with different interest groups and all of them
want him to run for second term in office.

“And do you know that whenever the president reacted to these
groups he would speak on all other points they raised except the
issue of second term.

“It has been like this in the past one year even before he went
for medical vacation, these calls had started coming but Mr
President would not say a word and that reinforced my opinion that
for him it was not a matter of do-or-die.

“It is just a matter of serving the country and If he feels that
he has done it with the best of his ability that is just it,’’ he
said

NAN

Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina has described as a
`misquote’ the report that President Muhammadu Buhari had pledged
only one term presidency and will never seek re-election in view of
his age status.

President Buhari, 75, had on Monday shortly before he left for
London, declared his intention to run for presidential election in
2019.

Adesina, who is the President’s Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity and currently on the entourage of the president to
London, was reacting to a contributor on Channel television
programme via Skype, on Tuesday.

Yemi Akinbode, who contributed to the programme, said he was not
surprised by the president’s declaration in spite of his pledge in
2014 not to seek re-election.

“No, that’s misquote, he was never, never quoted that way.

“If there is anything on record like that is a misquote because
I was with him in South Africa when that issue came when he said,
oh, he wished he had become president at the time he was a military
governor that he would have done a lot for Nigeria.

“And the other happened in 2011. When he was running in 2011 he
said, yes he would be a president for one term. But did he win in
that year, no.

“The victory came in 2015. So, that being quoted in 2011 is not
applicable again because he did not win that year.’’

Akinbode said: “It didn’t come as a surprise to me. We have seen
indications that the president was going to run a long time
ago.

“The president in 2014 said that he was only going to run for
one term because of his age.’’

But the presidential aide maintained that it was not on record
that Buhari had told the leadership of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) or any member of the party that he would do only one
term in office.

On the purported vote of no confidence allegedly passed on the
President by Northern Elders Forum and the Council for Shariah,
Adesina said the two groups had the constitutional right to support
anybody vying for political office in the country.

He cited an example of a former president of the country who
equally failed to secure the votes in his state and region but
ended up winning the presidential election twice.

On whether the president had obtained the support of his doctors
before making his declaration on Monday, Adesina said Buhari was a
responsible man who would never go against the advice of his
medical personnel.

He said: “The President is a very responsible man. If there had
been any warning, any red light from his doctor, you know, he
wouldn’t have ventured into it, unless you are telling me there is
something you know that I don’t know.

“But I know the President, as a very, very responsible man. If
there was any warning he wouldn’t do it.’’

Adesina, who said that the president took him and other
presidential aides unaware when he announced his intention to run
for re-election in 2019.

He said the president’s declaration was in reaction to appeals
by millions of Nigerians.

“Yes, there had been a lot of appeals. I have served in
different meetings with different interest groups and all of them
want him to run for second term in office.

“And do you know that whenever the president reacted to these
groups he would speak on all other points they raised except the
issue of second term.

“It has been like this in the past one year even before he went
for medical vacation, these calls had started coming but Mr
President would not say a word and that reinforced my opinion that
for him it was not a matter of do-or-die.

“It is just a matter of serving the country and If he feels that
he has done it with the best of his ability that is just it,’’ he
said

NAN