The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has dismissed reports linking him to Nigeria’s 2027 presidential race.
Recent media reports suggested that Adesina hinted at running for president during an interview. However, he has clarified that he never made such a statement.
Taking to his X handle on Friday, Adesina stated that his words were misinterpreted and misrepresented by some Nigerian media outlets.
“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.’
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.”
A listen to the substantive…
— Akinwumi A. Adesina (@akin_adesina) February 13, 2025
“A full listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will confirm this. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina stated.
This is not the first time Adesina has distanced himself from presidential speculations. As his tenure at AfDB concludes in May 2025, similar rumors had surfaced ahead of the 2023 elections, prompting him to release a statement dismissing any intention to contest.
“While I am deeply honored and grateful for the goodwill, kindness, and confidence shown towards me, my current responsibilities do not allow me to consider such an option,” he had stated.
“I remain fully engaged in my mission to support Africa’s accelerated development and economic integration, as mandated by Nigeria, Africa, and all non-African shareholders of the African Development Bank.”
Adesina, who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture under President Goodluck Jonathan, was first elected AfDB president in 2015 and secured reelection in 2020.
