2019: Why Buhari can’t declare intention now ―Presidency

THE Presidency has given reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari cannot declare his ambition in next year’s presidential election, saying that it is an attempt to prevent opponents from sabotaging the country.

President Buhari had recently provided some ambiguous hints about the possibility of his running for a second tenure amidst calls from some quarters for him to forget it.

The Presidency has now said that if he speaks too early about his ambition, it may give ammunition to unnamed opponents to throw everything at him and sabotage the country.

Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, who disclosed this in an interview in Abuja at the weekend, said the president cannot speak with the election still about one year away because he knows the consequences.

Asked when the president will declare his intention, the presidential spokesman said: “You know the peculiarity of Nigeria particularly now. If the president speaks too early, it’s a problem. There is a lot of sabotage in the country.

“You have also heard so many have said ‘don’t run.’ Because they know that if the president runs, others people should just run away because they don’t have the foggiest chance in hell to beat him.

“So, they want to discourage him from running.

“Now, if he tells you ‘I’m going to run,’ and elections are still one year away, it gives them one year to sabotage the entire country from all fronts – politically, socially, economically – they would throw everything at him just to dissuade him from running.

“So, when you know that, why then do you speak early?

“I think it makes a lot of sense for you then to keep things close to your chest till it is time for you to then say, ‘ok, I’m running’ by which time they can do less damage.”

The president had in November last year while speaking with some members of the Nigerian community in Cote d’Ivoire that he came to the meeting with two governors so that their people may vote for him in future.

While apologizing for turning up late at the occasion, he said: “First, I want to apologize for keeping you for too long seating. 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 company of the president, I think that will be another vote for me the future. I’m very pleased that they were able to turn up.”

On his recent visit to Benue state over herdsmen killings, he had also said at a stakeholders meeting that he could only make promises to them when he returns there for the campaign if indeed he will be coming for the campaign.

The Presidency also explained the president’s proposed visit to Rivers state which Governor Nyesom Wike has faulted because according to the governor, it is based on the wrong premise.

The Presidency had listed Rivers among the states the president will visit over killings in parts of the country most of which is blamed on herdsmen.

When told that the governor does not understand why the president is basing the Rivers visit on the crisis, the presidential spokesman said Buhari wants to condole with the families of those affected by various killings in the state.

He recalled the Omoku killings and the beheading of other victims whose heads were taken away by their assailants.

According to Adesina, “If he (Wike) doesn’t understand, the rest of the country understands. We understand other Nigerians understand. Even people in Rivers state understand because, on New Year/New Year Day, a minimum of 24 people was killed in Omoku.

“So, is that no crisis? And can you count the number of people that have been beheaded in Rivers state in recent times?

“People will be killed and heads will be cut off and the assailants will go away with the heads. So, can anybody say that there is no security issue in that kind of place?

“It’s left to the governor. He’s the chief security officer. If he says there’s no security crisis in his state, good luck to him.”

On what will become of the trip if the governor does not welcome it, the presidential aide stated: “I’m sure he will be formally informed of s date. So, if he now says he doesn’t want the visit, it’s left to him and the federal government to decide the next step.

“But the president is visiting so that he can condole with people who lost their loved ones, 24 people minimum, were killed in Omoku.

“So, those people are the reason. Those people and the many beheaded; relations of those beheaded and their heads taken away, are the reason why the president is visiting the state.”