2023: Buhari breaks silence on choice of Tinubu as successor, CBN gov’s interest in presidency

President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he is wholly behind the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

This is contained in the president’s written responses to questions posed by Bloomberg News.

Asked if he plans to endorse a candidate for president and if so, who? Buhari said “Yes. I will endorse the APC candidate for president.”

Also, in defence of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emeifele’s presidential bid, President Buhari said Emefiele was a victim of accusations because as apex bank governor he follows a model outside of the economic orthodoxy

According to him, “the CBN governor is appointed by the President. But this appointment is subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.

“Ultimately, it will be for the CBN’s board of directors to determine whether a CBN governor’s actions have fallen foul of the laws in place to ensure he can most effectively carry out his duties.

“But there is a subtext to the accusations. Because the governor follows a model outside of the economic orthodoxy, he is labeled political. But the orthodoxy has proved wrong time and again.

“Instead, the governor is following an alternative economic model that puts people at the heart of policy. Nigeria should be free to choose its development model and how to construct our economy, so it functions for Nigerians.”

The president also insisted that western allies must designate the outlawed Indigenous Peoples Of Biafra (IPOB) as a terror group.

“We urge those same international partners to take additional steps costing them nothing, by proscribing another group – IPOB – as a terrorist organisation.

“Their leadership enjoys haven in the West, broadcasting hate speech into Nigeria from London, spending millions lobbying members of the US Congress, and freely using international financial networks to arm agitators on the ground. This must stop,” he added.

President Buhari also stated that his administration is the only one in Nigeria’s history to implement a solution to decades-long herder-farmer conflicts, exacerbated by desertification and demographic growth.

“The National Livestock Transformation Plan, putting ranching at its core, is the only way to deplete the competition for resources at the core of the clashes.

“Governors from some individual states have sought to play politics where ranches have been established, but where they have been disputes have dramatically reduced,” he stated.

On the rising killings due to blasphemy in the country, he said “No person has the right to take the law into his or her own hands. Christianity and Islam, our two Great Faiths and their Great Books have far more in common than they have apart.

“Nigeria has a long tradition of tolerance that we must draw on, and we must strive to find common ground. What comes out of this tragedy is to cherish what we share, while at the same time respecting our differences.”