Akinwunmi Adesina, the outgoing President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has debunked media reports linking him to contest as president in 2027 against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others.
Following his interview on Arise TV, Akinwunmi was widely reported to have hinted at contesting for the presidency in 2027.
When asked during the interview if he would like to run for president of Nigeria after his tenure at the African Development Bank expires, he said, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere—including in my own country, Nigeria.”
His response sparked speculations as many interpreted it as a subtle declaration for the 2027 presidential race.
However, Adesina has debunked the claim and media reports, saying he didn’t say he wants to contest for president.
Clarifying his statement in a tweet on Thursday, February 13, 2025, Adesina said his Arise TV interview was misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media reports.
He tweeted, “A segment of my recent interview on @ARISEtv has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria.”
Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Adesina issued a statement in May 2022 to dismiss reports that he would join the race after a support group reportedly purchased and submitted the N100m Presidential form of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on his behalf.
Adesina shut down the speculation, saying his responsibilities at the AfDB do not allow him to be available to contest Nigeria’s presidency.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party, LP, says it would field former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, as its candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, stated this on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television, adding that Tinubu would not have a smooth sail in the next general polls.
“Tinubu is not just going to have it very easy in 2027, we are coming back with that Peter Obi to them so that they will know we are very serious,” he said.
Arabambi also faulted actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, over his decision to dump the party, describing his exit as a relief for the party as it plans to unseat the present administration come 2027.
The Publicity Secretary doubted Okonkwo’s loyalty to the LP, accusing him of working for President Tinubu and the ruling APC.
“And we wish Kenneth Okonkwo well, his resignation is good riddance to bad rubbish. He should not speak about the Labour Party anymore.
“There is no leadership crisis in the Labour Party. Labour Party is not going into extinction. It is just a figment of the imaginations of most of our detractors,” Arabambi stated.
Recall that Obi was the party’s presidential candidate in 2023 but lost to President Tinubu, the then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former Anambra State governor came third in the polls, trailing behind former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
