- President Buhari refrains from making any promise during his visit to Benue
- He urges the people of Benue to pray for the economy to improve
- Presidency bars top media houses from covering Buhari’s visit to Benue
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, March 12, gave an indication that he might seek a second term in office in 2019.
He said he could return to Benue state to campaign, ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
Buhari reportedly made the statement during his meeting with Benue stakeholders in Markurdi, the state capital as part of his tour of troubled areas across the country, The Cable reports.
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“When coming back on campaign, if coming back on campaign, I may promise,” Femi Adesina, his spokesman, quoted him as saying.
The president said he would not make any promise during his visit, but urged the people of Benue to pray for the economy to improve.
Buhari was also reported to have appealed to leaders of various groups in the state to convince their constituents that the federal government is doing its best to end the recurring attacks by armed herdsmen in various parts of the country.
Although the president has not formally declared his intention to seeking re-election in office, his campaign offices have been inaugurated in some parts of the country.
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The minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has reportedly been appointed the director-general of Buhari's campaign ahead of the 2019 elections.
Meanwhile, security operatives on Monday, March 12, barred correspondents of The Punch, This Day, Vanguard, Tribune, New Telegraph, The Nation and others from covering the president’s visit to Benue.
The Punch reports that about 30 correspondents from various media organisations were in the state, but only seven handpicked media organisations were allowed to cover the president’s visit.
NAIJ.com gathered that the Punch correspondent, who had gone to the Benue state government House in the early hours of the day, was told that his organisation was not among those allowed to cover the visit.
Checks revealed that there was a directive from the presidency to restrict the number of media organisations to cover the visit to seven.
The media allowed to cover the visit were: The News Agency of Nigeria, Daily Sun, Voice of Nigeria, Daily Trust, Leadership, The Guardian and Daily Independent.
Victims of Herdsmen killing buried in Benue State on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng