Politics

2023 President: Adesina Not Running… Explains Why He Can’t Succeed Buhari

Published

3 years ago

May 17, 2022.

Sylvester Ugwuanyi

Akinwumi Adesina Deeply Honoured By Several Calls To Run For Nigeria’s President In 2023

Adesina Deeply Honoured By Several Calls To Succeed Buhari As Nigeria’s President In 2023
Says He’s Currently Focused On Supporting Africa’s Accelerated Development And Economic Integration

EDITOR’S PICK:

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has finally come out to renounce any interest in the 2023 race for the office of the President of Nigeria, giving reasons why he can’t offer himself for the role.

There have been calls for Adesina to join the presidential race ahead of the 2023 elections with some groups reportedly purchasing and submitting the N100million interest forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on behalf of Adesina.

It was also in a section of the media that Adesina was last week in the residence of the influential nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mamman Daura, to enlist his support for his presidential bid.

But in a statement issued on Tuesday, the AfDB President distanced himself from Nigeria’s partisan politics, stressing that his current responsibilities won’t allow him to accept to be considered as one of the likely successors to President Muhammadu Buhari.

His words, “I have been extremely humbled by several calls from Nigerians at home and abroad that I should consider running for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am very touched by all who have gone to great extent, with such huge sacrifices, of their own volition, to consider me worthy to be proposed for potential consideration.

“The coalition groups of youth, women, farmers, physically challenged and well-meaning Nigerians that have done this have expressed their genuine free will, political right, freedom of expression and association for my consideration, with the interest of Nigeria at heart. While I am deeply honored, humbled and grateful for all the incredible goodwill, kindness, and confidence, my current responsibilities at this time do not allow me to accept to be considered.

“I remain fully engaged and committed to the mission that Nigeria, Africa and all the non-African shareholders of the African Development Bank have given me for Africa’s development. I remain fully focused on the mission of supporting the accelerated development and economic integration of Africa. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Adesina would ordinarily not be running to be President of Nigeria without resigning from his current job as the AfDB regulations bar its President from partisan politics.

Paragraph 2 of Article 38 of the agreement establishing AfDB, titled ‘Prohibition of Political Activity; the International Character of the Bank’, specifically states that “The Bank, its President, Vice Presidents, officers and staff shall not interfere in the political affairs of any member (country); nor shall they be influenced in their decisions by the political character of the member (country) concerned.”

In paragraph 3 of the article, it was stated that “The President, Vice Presidents, officers and staff of the Bank, in discharge of their offices, owe their duty entirely to the Bank and to no other authority.”

FURTHER READING:

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SERAP Sues Buhari For Spending N1.48trn On Maintaining Dead Refineries

Similarly, the AfDB code of conduct bars its executive from partisan politics. Section 10 of the Code reads: “Although Executive Directors are elected representatives of governments from their constituencies, they shall during their tenure of office as executive directors refrain from participating in active politics in their home countries or elsewhere.”

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