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2023: I have no favourite successor, Buhari declares

Agency Report
Agency Report
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President Muhammadu Buhari says he does not care about his successor in 2023, saying he has no favourite in the forthcoming general elections.

The president stated this in an interview he granted to Channels television which was televised Wednesday evening.

According to him, “I am not interested in who becomes the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress as I am open to the emergence of anyone.

“No. Let him come, whoever it is.

“The only important thing (is) I made sure that on record, nobody should ask me to come and give any evidence in any court. Otherwise, whoever it is, he will be in trouble. Because all the important things are on record. I made sure about that. Important issues are all on record.”

Pressed on whether he has any favourite in the APC, he added: “No. I wouldn’t because the person could be eliminated if I mention it. I better keep it secret.”

On his refusal to assent the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the president said that it did not provide options for political parties to choose their candidates.

According to him, the options of direct, indirect and consensus should be exploited by the parties.

He said: “Personally, I don’t support direct primaries because I want people to be given a choice. You can’t give them one option and think that you are being democratic.

“Let them have the three options.

“I don’t think I told them what I don’t like. All I said (is) there should be options. We must not insist that it has to be direct. It should be consensus and indirect.”

The president, who also reacted to the issue of State Police, expressed reservations over it, expressing the fear that state police may be abused by state governors.

“State police is not an option. Find out the relationship between local government and the governors. Are the third tier of government getting what they are supposed to get constitutionally? Are they getting it?

“Let the people in local government tell you the truth on the fight between local governments and the governors,” he added.

The president also responded to answers bordering on Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, farmer/herder conflicts and socio-economic conditions of citizens.

He said he was aware of the poor economic conditions being experienced by Nigerians, adding that he was aware of the pains they were going through.

“I’m absolutely aware of it. But as I said, look at the vastness of Nigeria, only 2.4 per cent of the arable land is being used. We realized it rather too late. We have to go back to the land,” he said.

Source: NAN

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