The outgoing President of the African Development Bank, Akinwunmi Adesina, has refuted media reports suggesting he is considering running for the Nigerian presidency in 2027.
Following his recent interview on Arise TV, reports emerged that Adesina had hinted at joining the 2027 presidential race. The speculation arose after he was asked whether he would be interested in running for president after his tenure at the AfDB.
In response, Adesina had stated, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere—including in my own country, Nigeria.”
His remarks were widely interpreted as a subtle declaration of political ambition. However, Adesina has now debunked these claims, stating that he never said he intends to contest for the presidency.
Clarifying his position in a tweet on Thursday, February 13, 2025, Adesina said his statement during the interview was misinterpreted and misrepresented by several Nigerian media outlets.
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 Adesina has been linked to Nigeria’s presidential race.
Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, reports surfaced that a support group had purchased and submitted the N100 million nomination form of the ruling All Progressives Congress on his behalf.
At the time, Adesina swiftly shut down the speculation, issuing a statement in May 2022 clarifying that his responsibilities at the AfDB did not allow him to contest for Nigeria’s presidency.
