In response to claims by some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to extend his tenure or impose an interim government, the Presidency issued a statement on Friday denying the allegations.
The statement, titled ‘Stop the joke about interim government, elections will hold,’ was signed by the President’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu.
The statement categorically stated that there were no plans by President Buhari to extend his tenure beyond May 29, 2023, or install an interim government. It also refuted claims that the President’s new naira policy was aimed at triggering chaos that would necessitate an interim government.
The presidency declared that the talk of an interim government was “way off the mark,” and those who peddled it stood to gain nothing but the creation of panic and incitement of the public against the Federal Government.
The statement reiterated that the President looked forward to handing over the reins of power to his elected successor on May 29, 2023, as required by the Constitution. The Presidency assured Nigerians that the February 25 elections would hold, and Buhari’s favored successor remained the APC flag bearer, Bola Tinubu.
Shehu urged everyone, including the party, its elected officials, candidates, and law enforcement agencies, to work together to address the problem of cash supply without panic or overreaction.
The statement called on the doubters, speculators, and untruth-tellers to be clear that the new naira policy was not engineered to keep the President in office beyond May 29, and nothing could be further from the truth.
