The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday dismissed
reports that he visited a London hospital to attend to his
health, saying: ‘I’m hale and hearty’.
Buhari was reacting to the allegation by Governor Ayo Fayose
that the APC presidential candidate was being attended to in a
London hospital. According to Fayose, Buhari’s alleged visit
to the hospital corroborated his alarm that the former military
dictator was sick and lacked the required capacity to rule a
complex country like Nigeria.
“As against the claim of the APC that Buhari was on a short
working visit to the UK, Buhari is being treated at a hospital
located at Cavendish Street, Cavendish Square, W2 London
West End, London,” the Ekiti State governor had alleged.
But Buhari, who spoke to THISDAY from London, said: “I am
hale and hearty. I am not in any hospital as claimed. I just
finished having talks with the former Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, Tony Blair, in his country home.”
THISDAY had earlier called Senator Bukola Saraki, who was
with Buhari. He handed over the telephone to the APC
presidential flag bearer, and the following conversation
ensued:
THISDAY: They said you were hospitalised in a London
hospital
Buhari: I am in London with Senator Bukola Saraki, Governor
Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State for a short working visit. I just
finished talks with the former Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom in his country home. I would be having another
meeting with the Awujale of Ijebuland soon. Apart from this, I
am also visiting some friends. As you can hear from my
voice, I am hale and hearty with some of my friends around
me.
Also, in a statement issued the same day, the presidential
campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) debunked Fayose’s claims that Buhari was
hospitalised in London.
The party which issued a statement on Saturday to explain
Buhari’s itinerary, said contrary to insinuations that he was
receiving treatment in UK, the former Head of State was
scheduled to hold discussions and interviews with some
groups and organisations while in London.
The statement from the Directorate of Media and Publicity of
the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO), said
Buhari planned to honour an engagement at the Royal
Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House in London
scheduled for Thursday, February 26.
According to the campaign organisation, Chatham House will
post the event and send out invites on Monday, February 23.
Spokesman of APC campaign organisation, Malam Garba
Shehu, in a chat with THISDAY said, “We are not even going
to engage with Fayose, he is not our type. All we will do is to
intimate Nigerians with Buhari’s activities while in London.
First, he has met with former British Prime Minister, Tony
Blair and his group and there will be other engagements that
will follow including the lecture at the Chaattam House in
London. We will put out these facts when we are ready and it
will shame detractors,” he said.
The statement signed by Malam Garba Shehu reveals that as
part of his ongoing engagement in the United Kingdom,
General Buhari had an interview yesterday with a local
medium, the “All Eyes on Africa TV Show” with Kemi
Fajodutimi and met with Tony Blair in the morning of
Saturday, February 21.
Shehu said Buhari also visited the London residence of the
Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, at about
1.30 pm UK time on Saturday and returned to his rented flat
in the city afterwards.
Meanwhile, the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation has
appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to call one of his
party’s governors, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti to order over his
continued pestering of their candidate, Buhari, with falsehood
and death wishes.
Shehu said the APC had learnt on good authority that
Governor Fayose had hired people in London who had been
trailing the movements of the APC presidential candidate
while on his working visit in the city.
“Let it be on record that knowing Governor Fayose’s
antecedents, we are not leaving anything to chances. The
governor who has published death-wish advertorials on
Buhari will stop at nothing. If anything should happen to
General Muhammadu Buhari while in London or anywhere, the
authorities over there in the UK and at home should know
who to hold responsible,” he said.
Culled from ThisDay.

Yaradua styling. Na wa for Nigeria.

This reminds me of the words of a former President of Nigeria who is now late. What's his name again?