By Ihechi Enyinnaya
President Muhammadu Buhari om Wednesday said said he has a successor in mind but he would rather keep the identity of the person secret because he might be killed if he names him now.
He said this during an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday.
Asked if he has a favourite among those eyeing the presidency in 2023, Buhari said he would rather keep the name of the person to himself, saying he may be eliminated before 2023.
“No, I wouldn’t say because he may be eliminated if I mention. I better keep it,” the President stated with a smile.
When asked if he was interested in who eventually succeeds him, he responded, “No. Let him come, whoever it is.
“All important things, I’ll make sure that they are on record. Nobody should ask me to come and give any evidence in any court, otherwise whoever it is, he will be in trouble because all important things are on record.
“I think my legacy is that I try to make sure that we conduct ourselves with integrity. That means we stopped all the stealing as much as the system can allow; we stopped misappropriation and for Nigerians that is very important.”
President Buhari stated his readiness to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, if the National Assembly would include the options of consensus candidate and indirect primary to the mode of selecting a candidate for an election, as against the initial direct mode as the only option to conduct primaries by political parties.
“There should be options, you can’t dictate to people and say you are doing democracy. Give them other options so they can make a choice,” he said.
Buhari also ruled out the possibility of a political solution in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu is facing charges bordering on treasonable felony instituted against him in response to years of the campaign for the Republic of Biafra through IPOB.
In November 2021, south-east traditional and religious leaders had asked the president to grant amnesty to Kanu to deescalate tension in the zone.
Commenting on the trial of the IPOB leader during the interview, the president said: “I wouldn’t dare interfere with the judiciary.”