Akinwunmi Adesina, the outgoing President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has debunked media reports linking him to the 2027 presidential race.
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.”
This is not the first time media reports have linked Adesina to the presidential contest in 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.
Vanguard