Concerned Nigerians, a leading civil rights organisation in Nigeria, has issued a 2-weeks ultimatum to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari saying that he must address Nigerians on the state of his health by May 29, 2017.
In an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Saturday, May 6, 2017, Deji Adeyanju, the group’s convener and John Danfulani, the group’s secretary, threatened to “shut down Nigeria” if President Buhari did not conduct a nationally televised media chat in two weeks.
This ultimatum comes as President Buhari’s ailment appears to have worsened and he missed important official assignments and 4 consecutive cabinet meetings. The president’s disappearance from public functions has sparked concerns and fears among Nigerians.
“For several weeks, the health of President Muhammadu Buhari has been the source of speculation. He has not appeared in public for several weeks and has failed to attend several official functions including Federal Executive Cabinet meetings,” the statement said.
“The handling of the situation relating to President Buhari’s health has led to a lot of political uncertainty in the country. This economic uncertainty has in turn led to a lot of economic uncertainty due as major economic stakeholders and players are unable to make short, middle and long term economic decisions.
“Furthermore, the uncertainty about President Buhari’s health is stoking ethnic and religious tensions.
“Only recently a user of the social networking site – Facebook – threatened to kill 200 innocent Nigerians if President Buhari dies.
“This threat may not be unconnected with rumours making rounds in the northern parts of the country that President Buhari was poisoned.
“To this end, we call on President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, publicly address the nation on the state of his health and other national issues. Such an address will go a long way in assuaging the socio-economic and political tensions.
“If President Buhari fails or refuses to address the nation within 14 days of this statement, we will commence a series of nationwide peaceful processions calling on President Buhari to resign from office.
“The processions will also call on the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly to set up a committee to assess his health in line with Section 144 of the Constitution if he fails or refuses to do so.
“While we recognise that illnesses can afflict anyone, particularly someone of President Buhari’s age, an occupant of the office of the president has to be more forthcoming with information regarding his health.
“It is an obligation that the president bears to conduct himself in a manner that does not affect the peace, order and good governance of the country.
“In all this, we wish President Buhari a speedy recovery from the illnesses that plague him. However, we believe that he can no longer recover in a manner that plagues the entire country,” the statement ended.
Buhari Diagnosed With Cancer
Buhari has been diagnosed with cancer, according to a source with intimate knowledge of the the president’s health.
In June 2015, The Trent obtained exclusive information that Buhari had been advised by his doctors in London to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his prostrate.
According to the reliable source, Buhari has, indeed, been diagnosed with cancer and the cancer is “growing but not spreading” and doctors have recommended immediate surgery to remove the growth. But Buhari is hesitant to undergo the treatment because he would take 6 months to recuperate, during which time, he would be away from the office.
“Yes, the president has cancer. The doctors found cancer confined in the tissue mass in his prostrate. It’s in the cells. It is growing, but not spreading,” the source disclosed to The Trent, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
“The UK specialists say that considering Baba’s [Buhari’s] age, there’s a high chance that it will start spreading if it is not removed. But Baba is reluctant because it will mean that he will be away from work for six months,” the source revealed. “So, the president is waiting and watching and hoping that it doesn’t spread. If it begins spreading, he would have no choice but to operate.”
“The doctors have told him that stress will speed up the growth rate, so Garba and Adesina are working on a strategy to shield the president from citizen criticism and negative news reports. But it is not easy.”
