AfDB presidency: Buhari sends Atiku to Zuma to lobby for Adesina

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has commenced lobbying for the candidacy of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
A statement by Malam Garba Shehu in Abuja on Saturday said Atiku’s shuttle diplomacy to drum support for the Nigerian candidate followed a mandate from the President-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the statement, Buhari asked Atiku to leverage on his contacts to lobby for the emergence of Adesina.
Buhari, who backs the candidacy of Adesina, had last month conveyed his support to the President of Ghana, John Mahama, when the two leaders met in Abuja.
The statement stated that Atiku travelled with Adesina to South Africa over the weekend where the two met with President Jacob Zuma at the Presidential Residence in Durban.
“His Excellency former Vice President Atiku Abubakar met President Zuma in the company of Dr Akinwumi Adesina during which the directive of Buhari was conveyed to Zuma.
“The issue of South Africa and the Southern African region’s support for Nigeria’s candidate was exhaustively discussed and well appreciated”, the statement read in part.