President Muhammadu Buhari has said that when he leaves office and Nigerians trouble him, he is confident that Niger Republic would defend him.
Buhari made this statement on Tuesday, May 23, during the commissioning of the Nigeria Customs Service Corporate Headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Buhari is quoted as saying during the ceremony:
” I have only 6 days before I leave office and I will relocate to Daura”
” I plan to be as far away from Abuja as possible. I came from an area that is far away from Abuja.“
“I said if anybody with force moves, I have a good relationship with my neighbors. Niger people will defend me”
Daura in Katsina State is located in the far North Eastern zone of the country and is very close to Niger Republic. It is the home town of Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall there has been speculations and suspicions about the relationship of Buhari and Niger Republic. He had previously said he had cousins in Niger Republic.
Buhari is believed to have influenced the construction of rail lines from Nigeria to Niger Republic by the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. The construction was very controversial as Nigerians questioned why the country’s resources would be used to build rail lines and infrastructure to a neighboring country with not so strong trade links.
Buhari will be vacating Aso Rock, the seat of power in Abuja and will be handing over to Bola Tinubu, who was declared winner of the 2023 presidential elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, the election results have been strongly challenged in court by the opposition parties who alleged outright fraud, voter intimidation and ethnic targeting were utilized by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure victory. In addition, the president-elect, Bola Tinubu has been dogged by allegations of links to narcotics trade and issues relating to his real identity.
