President Muhammadu Buhari has assured president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, of his support for his second term candidacy as AfDB chief.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari gave the assurance on Tuesday while hosting Adesina on a courtesy visit to State House, Abuja.

“In 2015, when you were to be elected for the first term, I wrote to all African leaders, recommending you for the position.

“I didn’t say because you were a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Minister, and I belonged to the All Progressives Congress (APC), so I would withhold my support. I’ll remain consistent with you, because no one has faulted the step I took on behalf of Nigeria,” Buhari said.

” alt=”” aria-hidden=”true” />The President further pledged that Nigeria would work with all other leaders and stakeholders in AfDB to ensure that Adesina was elected for a second term built on the record of his achievements during his first term.

AgroNigeria reported that the African Union had endorsed the incumbent president as sole candidate for the next election of the continent Bank.

Adesina, who was accused of nepotism and disregard for the Bank’s structure and processes by some “concerned staff” of the Bank, was later cleared of all allegations by the Ethics Committee of AfDB.

Adesina has also consistently maintained his innocence of all the allegations.

However, the U.S. Treasury Department in its reaction had rejected the decision to “totally exonerate” the Bank chief, calling for an independent probe.

Speaking during the visit, Adesina , a former Nigerian Minister for Agriculture, was quoted as saying that the 16 allegations raised against him were trumped up, “and without facts, evidence, and documents, as required by the rules and regulations of the bank.”

He emphasized that the Ethics Committee of the bank cleared him of all the allegations, and calls for fresh investigation by the United States of America, were against the rules.

“My defense ran into 250 pages, and not a single line was faulted or questioned. The law says that report of the Ethics Committee should be transmitted to the Chairman of Governors of the bank. It was done, and the governors upheld the recommendations. That was the end of the matter, according to the rules.

“It was only if I was culpable that a fresh investigation could be launched. I was exonerated, and any other investigation would amount to bending the rules of the bank, to arrive at a predetermined conclusion,” Adesina was quoted as saying.

Adesina also noted that the motive was to soil his name and that of the Bank.

The AfDB president thanked President Buhari for his unflinching support, adding that he was proud to be a Nigerian.

“You helped me to get elected in the first place, and you have supported me robustly all along, and the African Union unanimously endorsed my re-election, ” he said.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA