President Muhammadu Buhari says he will not seek tenure extension at the end of his 2nd term in office as rumours of a possible 3rd term agenda spread in the gossip mill.
Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu 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.”
