Buhari asks govs to give him more time to decide on 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for more time to take a decision on the 2019 election.

According to Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo state, Buhari made the demand during a meeting with governors at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday night.

The president spent over two hours with the governors at the First Lady Conference Room in the villa.

“We discussed so many issues that affect the nation, our party and Mr President’s ambition to run for 2019 elections,” Okorocha said.

“It is the desire of the governors that Mr President should run for this exalted office given his performance in the last two years. We believe that if he continues Nigeria will be better for it.

“But Mr President, in his usual manner, has requested that we give him time. He said he will address the nation’s and the caucus of the party very soon. So, we should be full of expectations that Mr President will make officially known to Nigerians his intention but we hope that his response will be in line with what the governors are thinking.”

The governors had earlier attended the meeting of the council of state.

Last week, Buhari hosted them at his residence in Daura, his hometown in Katsina state.

Nigerians are divided over Buhari’s reelection bid. While some have asked him to quit at the end of the current term, others, especially his loyalists are mounting pressure on the president to stay in office till 2023.

Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida have asked Buhari to leave in 2019 but just two days ago, Muhammadu Barkindo, lamido of Adamawa, told the president to ignore the “empty barrel elite” opposed to his re-election bid.