Presidency Attacks ‘Unsuccessful Opposition Candidate’ Falana Over Third Term Claims

The presidency has attacked a prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) for suggesting that President Muhammadu Buhari may seek a third term in office at the expiration of his current term in 2023.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba in a statement on Monday accused Falana of seeking public attention as it reiterated that Buhari has no intention of amending the constitution to pursue a third term.

The statement read: “The popularly acclaimed human rights lawyer and formerly unsuccessful opposition candidate for governor of Ekiti state, Femi Falana, has boarded the free-publicity train, full of those seeking personal media attention in claiming the president is planning a third term in office.

“To repeat: All and every claim that is made that suggest President Muhammadu Buhari will stand for a third term in office is false.

“To reiterate, the President reminds all of those who wish it were otherwise, whether because they want a third term, or because they seek to make false claims for the purposes of their own publicity of the statement made on 2nd October 2019, which is repeated in full, below:

‘The Presidency wishes to correct internet-based gossip and uninformed 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.’”

“President will have nothing more to say on this matter – apart from to repeat this statement, ad infinitum – that he will not be seeking, accepting, nor standing for a third term.”