Efforts are in full gear for Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina to be installed as the President of the African Development Bank.
At the forefront of the lobbying is the former Vice President Atiku who during the weekend commenced the lobbying for the candidacy of Dr Adesina.
A statement issued by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja said Abubakar’s shuttle diplomacy to shore up the much-needed support for the Nigerian candidate follows a mandate from the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to the former Vice President 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.
According to the statement, Abubakar travelled with Adesina to South Africa over the weekend where the two met with President Jacob Zuma at the Presidential Residence in Durban.
The statement said: “His Excellency former Vice President Atiku Abubakar met President Zuma in the company of Dr Akinwumi Adesina during which the directive of President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari was conveyed to Zuma.
The issue of South Africa and the Southern African region support for Nigeria’s candidate was exhaustively discussed and well appreciated.”