The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned Nigerians against creating unnecessary tension
over the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu urged Nigerians to rather stand with the president in
prayers instead of using his health to score cheap political game.
DAILY POST reports that President Buhari jetted out Sunday
night to undergo further medical check-up in London, UK.
Reacting, however, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State
enjoined Nigerians not to forget in a hurry that they were the same people that
voted overwhelmingly for him during the 2015 presidential election, stressing
that creating tension with his health was tantamount to betrayal of trust.
In a statement he personally signed Sunday night, few
minutes after the President left the shores of Nigeria, Tinubu urged Nigerians
to cooperate with Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who will act as president pending when
Buhari returns.
Tinubu in the statement affirmed that, “Nigeria is a place
of numerous challenges and the home of vast human potentials. Our greatest
challenge has always been how to best direct our vast potentials so that we
overcome the challenges that plague us. This cardinal challenge is why the APC
was formed and why the party presented then General Muhammadu Buhari as its
standard bearer. The people rightly chose him as their president, believing he
was the best person to make Nigeria into a better nation.
“His electoral victory was historic. More importantly, like
most Nigerians, I believed his presidency represented a historic mission to
right many of our nation’s wrongs. I still believe so. The previous
administration treated Boko Haram softly, appearing to view the terrorists as
part of their political equation rather than a lethal threat to national
security. President Buhari has gone after Boko Haram without condition and
without fear. He has pushed them back, saving lives and giving northern Nigeria
a chance to breathe again the air of peace and normalcy.”
He added that kudos must be given to president Buhari for
his victory over the Boko Haram sect in the volatile north east region of the
country.
He said, “My recent visit to Borno State to inaugurate projects
opened my eyes to the progress President Buhari has made in the anti-terror
war. An enabling environment has been created for Governor Ibrahim Shettima who
has taken advantage of the peaceful space to initiate laudable projects such as
the provision of housing for and rehabilitation of Boko Haram victims. The
previous administration treated corruption as its co-tenant in office.
“President Buhari has fought it with tenacity, equal to that with which he has
confronted Boko Haram.
“We currently face stiff economic challenges. This is
neither President’s Buhari’s doing nor choosing. The steep decline in oil
prices caused the downturn which exposed our nation’s long-time failure to plan
ahead by diversifying our economic base. It has fallen on the Buhari government
to fix the immediate problem while also diversifying our economy so that we
will no longer be as vulnerable to the price of oil again.
“His policies have begun to bear fruit. We are moving out of
recession and toward the long-term reshaping of the national economy. Given the
complex menu of problems he has faced, President Buhari has done well in a
tough situation. While I seek not to diminish the hardship still faced by many
of our people, we also must be cognizant of the important progress made these
past two years.
“President Buhari has moved us from the path of failure to a
path where we have a fighting chance to realize a better nation. Had we stuck
to the ways of the former administration, our present situation would be worse
than untenable. Those who publicly speculate about the issue of the President’s
health must keep all of this in mind. Much is at stake. We owe a responsibility
to be wise and circumspect in what is spoken into the public ear.
“We voted for President Buhari because we trusted his
ability to make decisions regarding complex issues of state. If we can trust
him to handle difficult matters of governance, we can also trust him to make
correct decisions regarding his personal health. The President Buhari I have
come to know is an honest and responsible man and leader.
“When he returned to Nigeria on March 10, he disclosed to
the nation that he had been sick to the extent that he received blood
transfusion and would leave for further treatment at some future date. He said
he would follow the counsel of his doctors and there is every reason to believe
that he has been true to their counsel. Many people have openly speculated
about the President’s health. Some have done so for their own selfish reasons.
These people shall be found out in time. There are many who have done so out of
sincere concern for the President.
“These people should not be condemned for their heartfelt
concern. However, they should be advised not to allow fear to ambush their
better judgment and their courage. They should not give themselves to idle
speculation. We should not buy into the myth of some cabal at work. Dwelling in
empty speculation on the existence of some mythic cabal is not what the country
needs at present. From what I can see, the President remains at the helm and
his policies are being implemented.
“The President is also showing his belief in process and
partnership by assigning more responsibilities to the VP, which included
presiding over meetings of the Federal Executive Council, thus demonstrating
his trust and implicit confidence in him. “Unfounded speculation serves no
purpose other than to encourage those who would rather derail the President’s
progressive agenda and who would divisively pit one aspect of this nation
against another. Such chatter may foment division where there was none and this
might come to impair the management of the affairs of this country.
“By fomenting animosity among groups that have heretofore
been allied, those who hold to the bankrupt politics of yesterday seek to
thwart the President’s mission while claiming to support him. Those who truly
care about the President and the important work he still must do should not
allow themselves to become the unwitting tools of these regressive forces.
“We must stand with and beside our President. The unfounded
speculation around his health should stop. We must not covet fear and rumor but
should engage our creativity and enterprise to help the President accomplish
his historic mission. Our greatest energies should be focused on righting this
economy so that it provides a decent livelihood for all people. This critical
path towards economic recovery must be followed for the sake of our children.”
By Ameh Comrade Godwin
