Buhari made the disclosures on Wednesday, January 5, 2021, during an interview with Channels Television at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in response to a question on the 2023 election.
By Emma Ogbuehi
President Muhammadu Buhari has ruled out reprieve for the detained leader of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that he would not interfere with the judicial processes. He stressed that he would want to see Kanu face trial for the charges against him. He however did not rule out political settlement.
The President also assured that that he is not going to be involved in choosing a successor at the expiration of his term, next year.
Buhari made the disclosures on Wednesday, January 5, 2021, during an interview with Channels Television at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in response to a question on the 2023 election. Selection of who succeeds him, he said, is not his concern
“It is not my business,” Buhari asserted, adding however that he would like to keep his preferred successor a secret.
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Buhari also explained his opposition to the inclusion of direct primaries in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill forwarded to him for assent by the National Assembly, insisting that the political parties should not be restricted to a particular mode of selecting their candidates for electoral offices..
While commenting on the 2022 budget which he recently signed into law despite strong reservations, he expressed confidence in the leaders of both chambers who he described as competent.
Regarding the recent appeal by South East elders to him for the release of the IPOB leader, who has been in DSS detention, the President said he would not interfere in the work of the Judiciary and would want to see Kanu stand trial for unguarded statements made against the interest of the country.
However, the President added that a political arrangement for his release is possible.
He defended the decision of the Federal Government to maintain a high debt profile, saying it would be unwise to reject the loans that will finance infrastructure development across the country.
On power, President Buhari faulted the performance of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs), blaming them for his government’s failure to meet with its target on power delivery.
He explained that the owners of the DISCOS were given the companies as ‘political settlement’ and not because they were competent to run them.
President Buhari dismissed the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a “failure”.