The presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Major-General
Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has expressed his
frustration over the campaign of calumny by
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against
him, dismissing allegations propagated by
the ruling party over his health, his
stewardship at the Petroleum Trust Fund
(PTF) and the controversy over his failure to
submit photocopies of his academic
credentials to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
Buhari, who spoke on Sunday at the Rivers
State Governor's Lodge, Abuja, alongside the
APC governorship candidate in Kaduna State,
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and former Ekiti State
Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, described as
unfortunate the amount of energy dissipated
by PDP on his health and academic
credentials.
He wondered how the PDP got the impression
that he had prostate cancer, when all he had
recently was a cold that did not deter him
from his campaign rallies across the country.
“This desperation of misinformation that is
being passed around will do nobody any good
because our minds are being taken away
from the serious issues of corruption and
incompetence by the PDP.
“How they got the impression that I was sick,
I do not know although I got a cold and that
did not stop me from going through my
schedule. A national daily reported that I was
to jet out for a medical check-up yesterday,
but here I am.
“I was in Nasarawa and Benue States
yesterday. Tomorrow, I am going to be in two
states. The day after tomorrow, in two more
states. I am doing two states per day. How
they got the impression that I was sick, I do
not know although I had a cold, but that did
not stop me from going through my
schedule,” said a visibly irritated Buhari.
Buhari insisted that he was as fit as a fiddle,
adding that it was not true that he was
planning to jet out of the country for medical
treatment as was reported in the media.
Still on the document flying around regarding
his alleged ill health, Buhari said: “I don't
know of this desperation. The issue we are
telling Nigerians is that of corruption in this
country for the last 16 years under PDP has
literally destroyed this country.
“That is the issue, so what does my health
have to do with that? And documents from
ABUTH (Ahmadu Bello University Teaching
Hospital) that have been put in the papers,
on tweeter, that I am sick are forged. This
desperation is beyond my understanding.”
When asked to make a categorical statement
on his health, Buhari jokingly asked the
reporter, “How old are you, 50 years? I am
telling you if we go to the field, you would
not last the time I will last in the field.”
Buhari also responded to the accusations by
the PDP that he did not have the required
secondary school certificate to contest the
presidential election, describing it as the
height of misinformation and desperation.
The former military head of state added that
there was no basis for the allegation of fraud
levelled against him by the ruling party
regarding his management of the affairs of
the defunct PTF.
Buhari said he had contested three times
under same rules set by the INEC where the
basic educational qualifications had applied.
“Why didn’t Nigerians ask when I contested
three times under the same rules set by the
INEC whether the basic educational
qualification had been met and I was allowed
to contest all these elections because my
certificate was in order.
“There are individuals who wrote to the
United States War College and the college
responded and it was published by some of
your papers.
“So really, this desperation for
misinformation that is being passed around
will do nobody any good because our minds
are being diverted from the serious issues of
corruption and incompetence by the PDP,” he
said.
Buhari explained that he had decided to
speak on the allegations in order to bring to
an end the distractions being caused by the
continuous misinformation.
Regarding allegations of fraud during his
stewardship at the PTF, Buhari said there
was nothing to respond to since former
President Olusegun Obasanjo who
investigated him had given him a clean bill of
health.
“There was no fraud in PTF, there was an
investigation and General Obasanjo has
answered that questions. He confirmed that
there was an investigation and the report was
brought to him and there was nothing on
ground as far as my management and
chairmanship of the PTF were concerned.
“So what else can I say? the person who did
the investigation has cleared me so what else
can I say?" he asked.
Buhari expressed concern over the state of
the Nigerian economy, alleging that the
country was broke, adding that most civil
servants were not paid their salaries before
the Christmas holiday.
“Well, the country is broke now. How many
states could not pay their workers’ salaries?
Even in December, most families were hungry
during Christmas because they had not been
paid their salaries.
“Yet, they are talking about my health
instead of paying the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the APC has warned that it will
neither accept an interim government nor a
postponement of next month's elections as
being advocated by certain individuals,
saying the elections must hold as scheduled
on February 14th and 28th.
In a statement issued by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
the party warned that any attempt to scuttle
the polls in preference for any other
arrangement would be resisted by all
available constitutional means.
“We are aware that those who are not
comfortable with the turning of the political
tide in favour of the opposition ahead of the
elections are scheming to abort a possible
victory for our party, through either an
interim government or the postponement of
the elections.
“These enemies of Nigeria include those who
are worried by the strong anti-corruption
stance of our party and its avowed
commitment to good governance, and those
who favour the status quo of anything goes,
bad governance and massive corruption that
have left Nigerians deeply pauperised and
traumatised,” it said.
APC said those who may consider the two
scenarios of interim government and
postponement of the elections as outlandish
should consider the published but yet-
unrefuted statement by one Deji Adeyanju,
said to be an official in the Office of the
Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe.
The party quoted Adeyanju, who handles Dr.
Okupe's Twitter Account, as saying in a
Blackberry Messenger (BBM) statement:
“Buhari can never be President of Nigeria.
Quote me any day any time. Instead of
Buhari to become President of Nigeria,
Nigeria would rather break.
“A military coup will even be allowed than for
Buhari to become the president of a
democratic Nigeria quote me any day, any
time.”
It said that since the statement had not been
refuted, one could safely conclude that it
represents the thinking in the presidency.
“If a citizen is advocating a military coup
against a sitting government just to prevent
a supposed election victory of the opposition,
it is nothing short of treason.
“Yet, the security agencies that have been
falling over themselves warning against
incendiary and inciting statements have not
yet swung into action over this inciting
statement. This is not encouraging vis-a-vis
the non-partisan stand of the security
agencies.
“The truth is that what could well be a
Freudian slip by Adeyanju has exposed the
depth of panic and desperation in the
presidency ahead of next month’s polls.
“This has also confirmed that those who have
been canvassing, either openly or otherwise,
the options of an interim government or
postponement of the elections, are working at
the behest of certain forces.”
The party called on Nigerians to be vigilant
and be ready to do everything under the law
to protect the nation's democracy, imperfect
as it might.
It also alerted the international community to
the evil machinations of desperate politicians
ahead of the forthcoming general election.
The opposition party challenged the
presidency to state its own stand and
distance itself from the anarchic and
treasonable statement by one of its own on
the forthcoming polls.
The party also dismissed as ridiculous the
use of discredited PTF report to malign its
credible and trusted presidential candidate,
Buhari.
A statement issued by the Director of Media
and Publicity of the APC Presidential
Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba
Shehu, said the seemingly exhausted and
frustrated ruling PDP could hoodwink the
Nigerian public in its sickening attempt to
tarnish the towering moral stature of its
presidential candidate by dredging up a
discredited report.
“President Obasanjo who set up this panel to
probe Buhari’s tenure at PTF discovered
something shocking from the work of the
panel,” Shehu said.
He recalled that after reviewing the report,
Obasanjo directed the relevant authority to
go after those indicted by the report.
Shehu said it was common knowledge that
the Haruna Adamu Management Committee
was sacked by Obasanjo in March 2000 for
alleged incompetence, amidst charges of
serious abuse of public trust.
According to him, several members of that
committee were indicted and made to refund
several hundreds of millions of naira of
public funds, which they illegally took from
the PTF.
He stressed that anyone under the illusion
that it could use “a rotten report to smear
Buhari must be living in fantasy”.
He regretted that these desperate tactics
would only amount to a disservice to
Jonathan and his party, the PDP.
The APC Presidential Campaign advised the
Jonathan administration to focus its energy
and attention on how to help give the country
a new lease of life in the face of grim
prospects on the economic front instead of
wasting time on the futile efforts to smear its
candidate.
Shehu stressed that the PDP administration
lacks any iota of credibility
to throw stones at its candidate, who is by all
accounts more credible and trusted in the
eyes of Nigerians.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/buhari-i-had-a-cold-not-cancer/199587/
http://www..com/2015/01/nollywood-actor-obiekwe-is-dead-after.html?m=1

If a common cold can make you behave like a drowning vulture, then you better take your retirement.

Cold or Cancer, whichever- is still a life threatening illness for a grandpa like you. Take my advice, it's time you took a breather from all the struggles, prepare for the next phase rather than the next election...
RIP in advance Buhari, it's been quite a lifetime...

that is why buhari is too weak to rule naija. why dont gej doesn't caught cold? anyways SAII GEJ-2019

youngpol:
Cold or Cancer, whichever- is still a life threatening illness for a grandpa like you. Take my advice, it's time you took a breather from all the struggles, prepare for the next phase rather than the next election...
RIP in advance Buhari, it's been quite a lifetime...

the result of this coming election will finally kill him or paralyze him.

Even Yar'Adua had a slight headache during his time.