By Ismail Auwal
President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has declined invitation to run for President of Nigeria in 2023.
Adesina in a statement released on Tuesday and titled, ‘Statement by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank’, said his current responsibility as the AfDB’s president will not allow him to contest Nigeria’s presidency.
Support group had reportedly purchased the N100 million Presidential form for the African Development Bank President to join a long list of Presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“While I am deeply honoured, humbled and grateful for all the incredible goodwill, kindness, and confidence, my current responsibilities at this time do not allow me to accept to be considered.
“I remain fully engaged and committed to the mission that Nigeria, Africa and all the non-African shareholders of the African Development Bank have given me for Africa’s development.”
However, appreciated people calling on him to consider running for the highest political office in the country, and those who obtained form for him, adding that they have exercised their right and genuine free will with the interest of Nigeria at heart
“I have been extremely humbled by several calls from Nigerians at home and abroad that I should consider running for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I am very touched by all who have gone to great extent, with such huge sacrifices, of their own volition, to consider me worthy to be proposed for potential consideration.
“The coalition groups of youth, women, farmers, physically challenged and well-meaning Nigerians that have done this have expressed their genuine free will, political right, freedom of expression and association for my consideration, with the interest of Nigeria at heart.
Adesina stressed that he remains “fully focused on the mission of supporting the accelerated development and economic integration of Africa.”
