Garba Shehu said the clarification became necessary to "dispel expressed concerns in certain quarters that the President has not featured in campaigns since the national launch."
President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to supporting Bola Tinubu for next year's presidential election but will not allow political campaigns to affect the "functions and duties of the President," his office has said.
Garba Shehu, the president's spokesperson, in a Wednesday statement, said the clarification became necessary to "dispel expressed concerns in certain quarters that the President has not featured in campaigns since the national launch in Jos, Plateau State."
President Muhammadu Buhari assures the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates in the elections next year that he is ready at all times to campaign for the Presidential Candidate and all party candidates with "full energy and conviction," Mr Shehu wrote.
Mr Shehu added that while the president "remains committed to party politics, the functions and duties of the President will equally be upheld at times."
Many Nigerians including party faithful had questioned the president's absence at the presidential rallies of the ruling party, APC since the campaigns started weeks ago. Mr Shehu's statement suggests the president may not play any key role despite his designation as the chairman of the APC's Presidential Campaign Council.
In the period that the campaigns have been ongoing, Mr Buhari has attended several official functions within and outside the country, including the recent summit between the US President and African leaders in Washington.
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In his Wednesday statement, Mr Shehu mentioned that the president, while in the US, expressed his commitment to support all APC candidates.
"Speaking to the Nigerian community in Washington DC in the course of his recent visit to the United States, President Buhari stressed what he said all the time that he is ready to campaign for the party's victory in the general elections next year," the spokesperson wrote.
"The President noted that the APC campaigns have so far been the most aggressive in recent history. "They have been impressive and of a high voltage," compared to the opposition that seems to be playing catch-up.
"He expressed strong optimism that the party will win all the elections fairly and squarely."
More details later...
