For the third time, the presidency last night denied allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari was nursing a third term agenda.
Reacting to repeated allegations by rights’ activist, Mr. Femi Falana, that the president has a third term agenda, presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, restated that Buhari had no such plan to elongate his stay in office beyond 2023.
“All and every claim that is made that suggests President Muhammadu Buhari will stand for a third term in office is false,” Shehu said.
He accused Falana of merely seeking personal media attention by his claim that the president was planning to have a third term in office.
He said: “The president reminds all of those who wish it were otherwise, whether because they want a third term, or because they seek to make false claims for the purposes of their own publicity of the statement made on 2nd October 2019, which is repeated in full, below:
“The Presidency wishes to correct internet-based gossip and uninformed 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.”
According to him, Buhari is a democrat who respects the Constitution and any activity aimed at altering the two-term limit will not succeed and shall neither have his neither time nor support.
Shehu also said Buhari would have nothing more to say on this matter except to reiterate this denial, that he will not seek, accept, nor stand for a third term.
