Richard Elesho
With a little less than two years to the end of his tenure, President Muhammodu Buhari has reassured Nigerians that he will not jump the gun on the issue of his successor. He said he may only campaign for whoever emerges as his party’s candidate, in accordance with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC timetable.
Buhari made the clarification on Friday on Channels Television, through Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,, who was reacting to insinuations being made on the President’s visit to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, APC National leader in London.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television programme, Adesina, said given the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not given the green light for campaigns to start, the president will never break the rules by campaigning.
“The President still has two years, less three months in his tenure of office. So for him to start supporting somebody now will just be jumping the gun. And you know that President Buhari will never do that. Before the 2019 election, people started to campaign for him before INEC blew the whistle of the campaign to start. He was the one who came out to say No, don’t do it. Don’t jump the gun.
“So the President himself will dare not jump the gun in terms of supporting one candidate or the other.
“Also recall that he has said that anybody who wants to be President after him should go out and work. That means the president may not be supporting anybody until maybe when the candidate of the party emerges. Knowing President Buhari, he will never jump the gun,” Adesina stated.