The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed speculations regarding President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the United Kingdom following his attendance at the Paris summit.
The party refutes the notion that the purpose of his private visit was to address any health-related issues.
These statements come after President Tinubu’s return to the country ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir festival on Tuesday. Initially planning to return to Abuja, he proceeded to London for a brief personal visit, as stated by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, Dele Alake.
In addition to his participation in the summit, the President engaged in significant sideline meetings with other heads of state, global business leaders, and executives from prominent international financial institutions.
However, his spontaneous private visit sparked speculation and discussions on social media, with trolls and critics insinuating that the trip served as a cover for a medical check-up.
In response, Bala Ibrahim, the Director of Publicity for the APC, refuted these claims during an exclusive phone conversation with The Punch stating otherwise.
Ibrahim, while asserting that such baseless concerns were unwarranted, revealed that Tinubu has demonstrated his readiness for the responsibilities through his intense election campaigns and activities following his inauguration.
“Why is it that every time the president travels, people will speculate that he went for treatment? Yet, not once did any of these speculations come to pass. Everything they speculated against the president didn’t materialise. For God’s sake, why can’t they jettison this mentality of ‘the man is sick?’ When you investigate, you will discover those making these silly statements are not doctors. Some are even mechanics. Who is healthy? They should even look at what nature is doing. About three of the speculators have died while the man is moving.
“People should, therefore, stop challenging God. Nobody is 100 per cent healthy and the man himself has said he is contesting to be president, not the kick-boxer of Nigeria. He is doing his job as the Constitution requires. We all saw how he stood on the podium for hours during his inauguration. He took the salute, oath of office and allegiance, and even inspected the guard of honour. I think we should cut the man some slack,” he said.
A former coordinator in the dissolved All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, Dr Ene Ogbole, also expressed the same concern in a separate interview.
While dismissing the speculated ill-health of the president, Ogbole reiterated she wasn’t surprised Tinubu was the target of his critics and rumour-mongers.
“That rumour is not new. In fact, if we were to go by speculations and fabrications, I don’t think the President should be alive today. Because there were countless insinuations, rumours and lies here and there. He went strictly on official duty, which was expected of him. It is his constitutional responsibility to liaise with other countries of the world. After all, the world is a global village. Things are interwoven. People relate for economic, political, climate and several other reasons. So he has gone for his assignment as we have seen so far and he will be back.
“By the way, any man can fall ill. As I speak to you, I have arthritis in my legs. I can’t walk well. I’m 40 years plus, not to talk about a man like that. Younger people are falling ill, developing arthritis, dislocation or fracture. In fact, anything can happen. We are humans and not machines. Even machines develop faults. So what is wrong with him going to the hospital? But that is not the case. He has only gone for a meeting and will come back to move Nigeria forward in a positive direction,” she stated.
Her defense comes at a moment when numerous members of the president’s campaign team and former spokespersons are intentionally avoiding media attention in order to not jeopardize their prospects of securing positions in his cabinet, ministerial list, or boards of government entities.
However, the former campaign director emphasized that since assuming office, Tinubu has unequivocally demonstrated his commitment to rectifying past mistakes, leaving no room for doubt regarding his sincerity.
