“Akinwunmi Adesina Clears the Air: ‘I’m Not Running for Nigeria’s Presidency’”
Akinwunmi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has refuted reports suggesting he is considering a bid for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Following a recent interview, media outlets claimed that Adesina had hinted at running for president in the upcoming election. However, the AfDB president swiftly denied these reports, stating that he had never expressed such an intention.
Taking to social media to clarify his position, Adesina explained that his comments during the interview had been misinterpreted and misrepresented. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he emphasized, “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.’”
Adesina urged the public to listen to the full interview, which is available online, to understand his actual statements. “For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” he added.
This is not the first time Adesina has addressed rumors about his presidential ambitions. Ahead of the 2023 elections, he also issued a statement publicly distancing himself from the race.
A former Minister of Agriculture under President Goodluck Jonathan, Adesina has been at the helm of the African Development Bank since 2015, following his election as president. He was reelected for a second term in 2020. His tenure at AfDB is set to end in May 2025.
