President Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed any talk of a third term ambition by him. He denounced any group or persons purporting to campaign for him to amend the national constitution to pave way for him to contest the 2023 election.
Last week, some online groups styled in the name of the President began campaigns for Buhari to seek to violate the constitution which stipulates that state governors, their deputies, Vice Presidents and Presidents are only entitled to four-year tenures renewable only once.
In a statement Tuesday night, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman said: “The Presidency wishes to correct internet-based gossip and un-informed 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.
President Buhari is a democrat. He respects the Constitution. Any activity aimed at altering the two-term limit will not succeed and shall never have his time nor support.
During former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) there was an attempt to amend the constitution to accommodate a third term. But it was defeated at the National Assembly.
