President Muhammadu Buhari on May 5, 2017Nigerian activists warned on Saturday that they would ground Africa’s most populous country should President Muhammadu Buhari fail to speak to his countrymen within two weeks in a widely televised media chat, even as anxiety continues to mount that Mr. Buhari is too sick or frail to govern.
“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,” said Concerned Nigerian, a pro-democracy movement committed to accountability, rule of law and good governance.
“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,” the statement signed by Deji Adeyanju, the Convener of Concerned Nigerian, and Dr. John Danfulani the movement’s Secretary, said.
The President emerged from his private residence on Friday May 5, after 14 days out of public view for his Juma’at prayer. He had missed three cabinet meetings and cancelled another one, making it one whole month that Mr. Buhari had not been to his office since he returned from a 50-day medical vacation in London on March 10.
Many prominent Nigerians, including the editorial board of the influential newspaper, THE PUNCH, have called on Mr. Buhari to resign. But the President had so far ignored such calls and his wife, Aisha Buhari, had told the nation that her husband was not as bad as media reports were making seem and he was working from his private residence.
In a statement to THE SIMON ATEBA NEWS, Concerned Nigerian 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 as major economic stakeholders and players are unable to make short, middle and long term economic decisions”.
The activists added: “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”.
The activists said while they 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”.