President Buhari to Speak to Nigerians from London

 

The Presidency has promised to get President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on indefinite vacation in London, to speak to Nigerians to douse welling controversies and disquiet in the country over his health status and well-being.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, who disclosed this in Abuja on the sidelines of an interactive session with Nigerian youths organized by the Citizens Support for Good Governance in Nigeria, yesterday, also dismissed fears of a division in the nation’s seat of power regarding the performance of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who has held sway since President Buhari went on medical vacation last January.

 

He also said it was not true that some close appointees of President Buhari had constituted themselves into a cabal with the aim of whittling down the influence of Acting President Osinbajo.

 

Asked why the President’s handlers have not deemed it fit to get him to talk directly to Nigerians through Nigeria’s media, Shehu said the suggestion would be forwarded to the president to see if he would agree. ‘’Okay, if you are making a suggestion, we will put it to him, in case he would agree.

"We will put it to him," he said. On the issue of a cabal in Presidency, Garba said: ‘’This country has one government. When Nigerians voted, they voted for Buhari/Osinbajo on one ticket. Nobody can divide that ticket, so if Prof. Osinbajo achieves a milestone, it is a milestone by the Buhari administration. It is one government, no division in this government.’’

 

He also added that Nigerians have to be grateful to the President, whose emergence, he said, halted the menacing advance of the Boko Haram terrorists, who by now, according to him, might have overran the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock.

 

‘’He (Buhari) wants a future that is secure and stable for young generations that are coming, that is yourselves. This is why in his messages, he has stayed on three key issues; he has repeated this over and over again.

‘’He says this country cannot make any progress without security. And look at all the efforts that has been put in rolling back Boko Haram. There are many people who believe that if not for President Buhari, if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had continued in this country in 2015, Boko Haram would have taken over Aso Rock by now,’’ he said.

 

 Also speaking, a member of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Barr. Ismaila Ahmed, urged the party to be open to criticisms and asked Nigerians to hold the President and other leaders of the party accountable for their campaign promises.