President Muhammadu Buhari has
reassured Nigerians that he will not seek tenure extension at the end of his
2nd term in office as rumours of a possible spread in the gossip mill
Garba Shehu, Buhari’s spokesman in a statement on Nigeria’s Independence
Day made the declaration saying categorically that the President will not seek
tenure extension under any circumstances and will not support an amendment of
the constitution to make that happen.
“The Presidency wishes to correct internet-based gossip and un-informed
media commentary regarding presidential term limits, given credence by
so-called support groups, staging street demonstrations asking President
Muhammadu Buhari to do a third term. There are no circumstances – nor set of
circumstances – under which President Buhari may seek to amend the Constitution
regarding the two-term term limit on holding office as President.
President Buhari intends to serve his full second elected term in office,
ending 2023 – and then there shall be a general election in which he will not
be a candidate. There is not even the faintest possibility that this will
change. It is important to note that there was a past attempt to change the
Constitution to allow for the-then incumbent president to stand for a third
term. That attempt was wrong, unconstitutional – and rightly rebuffed.
No such
attempt will happen under this President. President Buhari is a democrat. He
respects the Constitution. Any activity aimed at altering the two-term limit
will not succeed and shall never have his time nor support.”
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