2027: Akinwumi Adesina Denies Presidential Ambition

By Dansu Peter  President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has dismissed speculations that he is preparing to conte...

By Dansu Peter 

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has dismissed speculations that he is preparing to contest for the Nigerian presidency, clarifying that his recent remarks were misinterpreted by the media.  

Adesina, a former Minister of Agriculture, responded to reports in some Nigerian newspapers suggesting that he had expressed interest in the presidency during a recent interview with Arise Television.  

In a statement posted on his X handle Thursday morning, Adesina refuted the claims, emphasizing that his comments had been taken out of context.  

“A segment of my recent interview on @ARISEtv has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets,” he said.  

“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.”  

The AfDB President, who recently turned 65, is set to complete his tenure at the pan-African financial institution later this year.