The Presidency has rubbished claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is gravely ill and preparing to fly abroad for emergency medical care.
The sharp rebuttal follows a report last week by the Nigerian Institute for Investigative Journalism (NIIJ), which alleged – based on unnamed sources – that the President’s medical team was on standby for evacuation. The publication went further, claiming Tinubu had been bedridden, forcing Vice President Kashim Shettima to take over engagements and leading to cancellations of some presidential events.
Speaking to BBC Hausa on Monday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, AbdulAziz AbdulAziz, dismissed the report as false and without foundation.
Speculation had swirled after the President missed the 3 August ceremony celebrating Nigeria’s women’s basketball champions, D’Tigress, where Shettima represented him. Tinubu’s last public outing was on 1 August at the opening of the Summit on Journalism for National Development. Days earlier, he had hosted the Super Falcons to celebrate their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Morocco.
The Presidency insists the President is “fully active” in his duties and that the health rumours are nothing more than politically motivated distractions.
