Presidency: Buhari Good Enough to Contest 2019 Election

Despite the President Muhammadu Buhari’s prolonged absence from his country, Nigeria, over health concerns, one of his media aides, Mallam Garba Shehu, yesterday insisted that the president is “good enough to continue” if given the opportunity to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Although the presidential spokesman expressed ignorance over Buhari’s ailment, he noted tha the president would speak to Nigerians when he returns from his medical vacation.

Shehu stated this in an interview on ARISE News Network in London, two days after the presidential media team paid him a visit in the British capital.

The media delegation that met with the president included the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Senior Special Assistant, Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the president’s Senior Special Assistant, Digital/Online Media, Lauretta Onochie.

The president has been away for more than 90 days getting treatment for an undisclosed ailment in London. This is the second trip he has made to the UK this year for medical reasons.

When he met with the media team on Saturday, he said he was ready to return home but would only do so on his doctors’ orders.

When asked if Buhari would seek re-election in 2019, Shehu said the president “is good enough to continue in 2009”, but added that the president’s re-election was not the issue at the moment.

“The main issue is the president comes back home in full health and resumes office. It is left for Nigerians to decide. I know the decision is with the people. But President Muhammadu Buhari is good enough to continue,” he said.

Shehu, however, said he could not speak specifically on the nature of Buhari’s ailment, assuring Nigerians that the president would talk to them about what he went through in the course of his treatment.

According to him, “I cannot tell because I do not know the nature of his ailment. As he is, the president does not need prompting from anyone before he comes out and tells Nigerians what happened to him.

“When he came back last time, President Buhari told Nigerians what he went through in the United Kingdom. I think the president will choose the right moment to talk to Nigerians.”

Constitutionally, Shehu argued that nothing requires the president to disclose the nature of his illness. “In the constitution, there is nowhere the president is required to disclose his illness.”

“This is a country where past presidents never fell ill before. Even when they fell ill, nobody knew about it. This is a country where past presidents never handed over to their deputies. We had a president who was dying in office. Nobody was ready to talk,” he explained.

He also faulted those canvassing for Buhari’s resignation due to his illness and long absence, noting that their agitation was linked “to some elements in the opposition”.

“In any case, we are in a democracy. We cannot stop people from protesting or demonstrating.

“In a country of 170 million people, we only have two dozen people protesting and all of them with links with the opposition. Every person is entitled to his or her own view.

“Nigeria has a huge population. But there are people praying in churches or mosques for the president’s recovery,” Buhari media assistant said.