Many people knew it would be an uphill task for Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, the suave and brilliant President of the African Development Bank to leave his very high profile job to contest for the Presidential seat of Nigeria.
It is like going from the known to the unknown. To do that, he was required to leave his comfort zone for the murkey waters of politics which outcome he would never be sure of till the end. He is doing his second term at the Continental Bank. No surprise, therefore, that he finally issued an official statement saying he was not interested in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The questions, however, are: Why did Adesina not, immediately, reject the N100m Presidential Forms when a group of people purchased it for him? Did they not sound him out? Has Adesina officially become a card- carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, APC?
Akinwunmi was the Minister for Agriculture under President Goodluck Jonathan, and he was a member of the PDP. Most important, however, is: What will happen to the N100m? Will the APC keep the money, or will it go back to the anonymous people in the Group in which name the form was purchased?
For many weeks, speculations were rife that Adesina may be the dark horse presented by the Presidency to take over Buhari’s job come 2023. Speculations were that the Presidency, while encouraging the motley crowd to purchase forms as a fund-raising gimmick for the APC to prosecute the Presidential election, had two options in former president Goodluck Jonathan and Adesina.
Jonathan has not personally made a commitment on the issue, but he is obviously not interested.
But Adesina, on Tuesday, May 17, explained himself in a statement personally signed by him.
He said: “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.
“While I am deeply honored, 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.
“I remain fully focused on the mission of supporting the accelerated development and economic integration of Africa.”
He never filled the form. And so never returned it. Has the Support Group which bought the form for him retrieved their money? Or, has it become part of the funds being allegedly raised by the APC to prosecute the 2023 Presidential election in the name of selling Presidential Forms to aspirants? Smart.
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