‘I swore by the Qur’an to leave in 2023’ — Buhari warns against campaign for ‘unconstitutional extension’

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned those campaigning for an extension of his tenure, maintaining he swore by the Qur’an to leave office after his second term ends in May 2023.

According to a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, Buhari said this on Friday during a meeting with some Nigerian residents in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, Buhari departed Abuja for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the investment conference organised by the Future Investment Initiative Institute.

Speaking at the meeting with the Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, Buhari said he will not accept any clamour for an “unconstitutional extension” of his tenure.

The president also said for the rest of “eighteen months or so of my time left, whatever I can do to improve the life of Nigerians, I will do it for the country”.

“I swore by the Holy Qur’an that I will serve in accordance with the constitution and leave when my time is up. No “Tazarce’’ (tenure extension),” Buhari said.

“I don’t want anybody to start talking about and campaigning for unconstitutional extension. I will not accept that.”

Buhari commended Nigerians resident in Saudi Arabia for representing the country well and projecting its good image.

He further urged citizens at home to be fair to his administration at all times, asking critics to compare the security situations in the north-east and south-south in 2015 with the present.

“My problem is the North West where people are killing and stealing from one another. I had to be very hard on them and I will continue to be very hard until we put them in line and bring back order,” he said.