I do not have the desire to contest for any elective post in 2019 - Kingibe

I do not have the desire to contest for any elective post in 2019 - Kingibe

- Babagana Kingibe, a former secretary to the government of the federation, links the presidential campaign posters bearing his face to allegations that he took money from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)

- Kingibe claims that the posters were not produced or authorised by him

- He says the allegations formulated against him are false

A former secretary to the government of the federation, Babagana Kingibe, has claimed that he is not aware of the circulated 2019 presidential campaign posters bearing his image.

Kingibe said in an advert in national newspapers on Friday, February 2: “I am experienced enough in politics to know that you do not start a political campaign with posters without talking to anyone about your ambition.”

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The posters have been appearing in Abuja and Lagos. It prompted insinuation that Kingibe, a running mate to MKO Abiola in the 1993 presidential election, was preparing to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari for the APC ticket.

He connected the posters to allegations that he took money from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Kingibe stated that the events cannot be “coincidental”.

Kingibe wrote: “My attention has been drawn to the posters being circulated in some cities across the country purporting that I am campaigning to be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2019 elections. I want to state clearly that I know nothing about the posters. They were neither produced nor authorised by me. I do not know how the posters came about and I know nothing about how they were circulated in those cities. I am experienced enough in politics to know that you do not start a political campaign with posters without talking to anyone about your ambition.

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“In any case, I want to state very clearly that I DO NOT have the intention or the desire to contest for any elective post in 2019 or thereafter. I am fully in support of President Muhammadu Buhari and his policies, which I believe will rescue Nigeria from accumulated decay, loss of moral compass and leadership failure. I fervently believe that Nigeria is safe in President Buhari’s hands and he needs to complete and build upon the solid foundations that he is laying.”

He described the NIA allegations as “phantom”. Kingibe said: "I am also very much aware of fictitious petitions and statements made to the EFCC and House of Representatives Committee on Security and National Intelligence linking me to some claims of impropriety. The phantom allegations and the pasting of posters are too striking to be co-incidental. This is a miscalculated attempt to malign and defame me. I urge all well-meaning Nigerians to please ignore all these fabrications and falsehoods.”

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Kingibe was the chairman of the panel set up by Buhari to review the operations of NIA following the discovery of the agency’s funds in a flat in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that there were indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might have been thrown into another round of confusion ahead of the 2019 general elections as posters of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe flooded Abuja and other Nigerian cities.

It was reported that this was happening barely a week after former President Olusegun Obasanjo stoked controversy in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him not to seek re-election in 2019.

2019 Presidency: Fayose versus Buhari, who will you vote for? On Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng

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