Buhari

The Presidency declared on Friday that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), has no plans to prolong his term past May 29, 2023, or to appoint an interim administration.

A statement signed on Friday by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu read, “Let us clearly, specifically, and emphatically state that there is absolutely no truth to the claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is working towards an interim government or even worse, the truncation of democracy.”

The statement with a heading, ‘Stop the joke about interim government, elections will hold.’

Shehu said, “The President looks forward to handing over the reins of power to his elected successor. This will happen on May 29, 2023, as the Constitution requires.

“What should be made crystal clear to the doubters and the speculators and the untruth-tellers is that in no way was the naira swap ‘engineered’ to keep the President in office beyond May 29. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The president made this statement in response to assertions made by several governors who were elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress that Buhari’s insistence on the new currency policy will cause anarchy and require the installation of an interim government.

The governors of Kaduna and Kano states, Nasir El-Rufai & Abdullahi Ganduje, respectively, stated in separate interviews that the approach would bring about additional crises that would obstruct elections and usher in an interim administration.

They also claimed that the new naira policy, which had caused riots and scattered protests around the country, was an attempt to harm the APC’s standing and undermine Bola Tinubu’s aspirations for the presidency.

In his 7am broadcast on Thursday, the President declared that only old

The notion of an interim government was “far off the mark,” the presidency claimed in response to the accusations.

“Those who peddle it stand to gain nothing at all but the creation of panic and the incitement of the public against the Federal Government.

“It is another dangerous dimension by people who are afraid that they may lose their elections,” it added.

According to the presidency, with the current turn of events, there is a lot of pressure on everyone, including the party, its elected officials, candidates, and law enforcement agencies.

“It is precisely because the President is concerned with this problem that he opened several avenues for consultation with leaders and groups across the country, culminating in his broadcast to the nation on Thursday morning.

“In line with the speech, his clear and unequivocal directive is that the problem of cash supply must be addressed without delay.

“While this is being done, there is no need to panic. We need to work together as leaders, as a people, and as one nation.

“When panic hits, people go into overdrive. Shouting helps no one because no one can listen,” Shehu added.

The presidency guaranteed Nigerians that the elections would take place on February 25.

The president further stated that Tinubu, the APC nominee, will continue to be Buhari’s preferred replacement.

The Loko-Oweto Bridge and Link Roads, which connect the states of Benue and Nasarawa, will be officially opened by President Muhammadu Buhari in ten weeks, according to Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing.

The Minister made this statement on Tuesday during a press conference with reporters after seeing the ongoing construction projects along the Nasarawa-Loko Road.

His words, “The 2.2km Loko-Oweto Bridge has been completed; the installation of road signs and other necessary fittings were the only things delaying the inauguration of the bridge and link roads.”

Assuring that the projects would be “finished development,” he said as much.

“I can certainly claim that we now have a bridge across the River Benue and almost 70 kilometers of roads linking Benue State to Nasarawa,” the minister said in response to questioning from reporters. In addition, we constructed a 74 km long road that connects Nasarawa and Benue to the FCT.

“The bridge was completed two and half years ago but we were waiting to connect the link roads. In 2016, I remember it used to take four and half hours from Mabushi in Abuja to get here but today we took two hours and 30 minutes from Mabushi to get here.

“The link road is substantially finished now and I think I can report to Mr president that this bridge is ready to be formally opened to traffic. There are two bridges, one is 2.055 kilometres and the second is 800 metres, traversing the entire length of the river.

“We will tidy up what we need to do. We will install road signs, asphalting of shoulders and a few wearing cost materials. So in another four to ten weeks, we should be ready to come.

“It is important to inform Nigerians that those who speak about production and economy should come here to learn what infrastructure does.”

On the level of work done, Fashola said, “I think your cameras will tell the story better but clearly this is another intervention of the President Buhari administration on infrastructure.

“Understandably, there is a lot of emotions and excitement going on about the Second Niger Bridge. People forget that the bridge crosses the River Niger and it is an East-West crossing as it links the east of Nigeria to the western part of Nigeria.

“There is also a second major river in Nigeria, the River Benue. It is a North-South crossing. So, whilst there is a lot of publicity and excitement about the second Niger Bridge, perhaps not enough attention has been beamed to the Loko-Oweto Bridge.

“Due to this infrastructure, markets have sprung up a sawmill, eatery and a mining site are fully operational. We are seeing economic improvement,” he added.