Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has responded to the call by Senior Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to sustain his legacy by picking a successor before 2023.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today anchored by Seun Akinbaloye, said Buhari will not handpick his successor neither will he handover to those who will take the country back and erased the successes of his administration on the fight against corruption.
Adesina said that like anyone in position of authority, his principal has his exit plan.
He said: “By May 2023 God willing, he would have finished his second term as president; he would not have stood for another term, and he will be exiting. So, he has that at the back of his mind. Pastor Bakare said he should be interested in who succeeds him, yes, I’m sure the president will be interested in who succeeds him, but he will not manipulate the process, to pick a successor.
The president will not pick a successor; we know him; he is not somebody like that. Will he be interested in the process? Yes he will. He will ensure that there is a free, fair and credible election; that nobody will come to use money and resources to bamboozle his way into the leadership of the country. It will not happen. The president will ensure free, fair and credible process but to hand pick a successor? No, he will not do that.”
On whether President Buhari was listening to the advice by his friend, Pastor Bakare, Adesina said: “The President will ensure that Nigeria is in safe hands. There is no point having worked, having made gains, having made advances since 2015-2023, to hand Nigeria over to those who will take her back or hand Nigeria over to looters once again or you allow looters to allow stolen funds to work for them to seize power. No, that will not happen.
“The president will be interested that much in who succeeds him, but he is not going to impose anybody. Rather, he is going to create a free and fair process and Nigerians are then going to determine who the next president should be.”
On Bakare’s allegation of the enemies of the nation being in the three tiers of government and arrogating state resources for personal use and the Buhari’s response, the Presidential Spokesman said, “Well, the president respects the principles of federalism. There are certain things that the president will not dabble into but whatever role that the law allows him to look into that, sure he will do. The anti-corruption agencies are empowered to look at things happening in the state and they will. But the president interfering or intervening directly where the law does not permit him, no he will not.”
On whther the president will act on the Electoral Act amendment early enough, though he said he is committed to reforming the electoral process, Adesina said: “Well, it depends on how you define early enough. One thing that is clear is that the president will do whatever is needful before the next set of general elections. Early enough is relative but the president will do whatever is needful.”
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