Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, has become the latest public figure in the country to slam President Muhammadu Buhari over his plans to seek a second term in office come 2019.
Earlier in the week, reports that the President had appointed the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as director general of his 2019 re-election campaign, went rival.
The Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu had also told State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, on Wednesday in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with Buhari that ardent supporters of the President would prevail on him to seek re-election.
Although Shittu acknowledged that Buhari was undecided about seeking a second term, political analysts believe the kite is being flown by the President’s handlers to gauge the peoples’ pulse on the matter.
Reacting to the subtle plans by Buhari to purportedly run for a second term, Cardinal Okogie said it is an insult on Nigerians, judging the President’s woeful performance since assuming office almost three years ago.
Speaking in an interview with The New Telegraph, Cardinal Okogie advised the President, who recently clocked 75, to respect himself and retire quietly from politics at the end of his first tenure in 2019.
He said:
“What has he done in the years he had been in the saddle? He has performed woefully; that’s the verdict of Nigerians. Let the president respect himself and retire quietly. Coming out to talk of 2019 is insulting not only to those who voted him to power but to all Nigerians. There are so many problems confronting the people and he should be thinking of what to do about them. For second term, he must be a joker. That is all I can say for now because I don’t want to dignify them with a lengthy statement. It is not worth it”.
