President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will spend some time in his hometown Daura, Katsina before heading to live in Kaduna after relinquishing power on May 29 this year, when he would have completed his second term of four years in office.
Mr Buhari, who has been in the saddle since 2015, is expected to hand over power to President-elect Bola Tinubu, his ally and party member, next month.
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According to a statement by presidential media aide Garba Shehu, the president stated this on Thursday when he met with the Progressive Governors Forum, otherwise known as APC governors, at his residence in the State House. The APC governors, led by Governor Atiku Bagudu (the PGF chair), visited Mr Buhari to congratulate him on the party’s electoral success in the February 25 and March 18 elections.
Mr Buhari spoke at length about his retirement proposal, saying that he intended to be home in Daura for six months before eventually moving to Kaduna.
The President thanked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna for the infrastructure he had provided that would make life for his retirement and that of the people of the state much better. He also commended Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for doing the same.
The president also used the visit to take a swipe at Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Governor Peter Obi, saying, “An important reason I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is because the opposition got support and false hope from outside and went on to create the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. How more wrong could anyone be?”
Mr Bagudu, speaking on behalf of the APC governors, said the ruling party won the presidency and the majority in the National Assembly with Buhari’s support.
“Congratulations, your party won the presidency, a majority in the Senate and for being the leading party in the House of Representatives. These successes would not have happened without your support,” stated the Kebbi governor.
The governors in attendance were from Plateau, Imo, Kwara, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Cross River, Jigawa, Katsina, Ogun and Nasarawa. Others who attended the occasion included deputy governors of Kano, Gombe, Borno and Ebonyi.
(NAN)