APC Chieftain Warns on Danger of Wishing Buhari Dead

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

As concerns mount over the health of President, Muhammadu Buhari, a prominent member of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kaduna State, Yusuf Ali, has cautioned against the likely negative consequences of spreading the death rumour.

He said it amounts to callousness and wickedness for anybody to wish a sitting president dead simply because they want to ascend to power in 2019.

In a statement issued in Abuja monday, Ali said it is a well-known fact that presidents all over the world are normal human beings, not robots or extra-humans, and as such, are not immune to fall ill.

He said President Buhari, despite his old age, has worked assiduously to ensure that the country is retrieved from the brinks and returned to the path of sanity, peace, economic recovery and sustainable development.

“Presidents the world over are not robots or extra-humans but ordinary and normal human beings, and no president is immune to falling ill. They fall ill; have attack or any assorted aches or pains. Our duty as citizens is to wish them well or quick recovery as the case may be,” he said.

Ali said President Buhari had fulfilled constitutional requirement as expected of him by writing to the National Assembly to inform them that he was proceeding on vacation and that within that period, he would be undergoing medical check-up.

Allowing death speculations to fester may be dangerous for the peace and stability of the country, which might spark off crisis.

“But within 12 hours when he left for the United Kingdom, some “politically-minded” Nigerians took to the social media to spread a dangerous rumour that the president has passed on. Such is callous and wicked. Anybody who wishes Buhari out of power should wait for 2019 to test his or her popularity instead of sitting within the comfort of their homes and issue obituary on someone who is hale and hearty but only on vacation and also to check his health.

“There is no doubt that governing Nigeria at this particularly time is quite a herculean task especially after the 16 years of the locust occasioned by the PDP misrule. The president, despite his old age, has worked assiduously to ensure that the country is retrieved from the brinks and returned to the path of sanity, peace, economic recovery and sustainable development. Indeed Buhari is laying the foundation for a new Nigeria.

“It is evident that corruption is fighting back on all fronts but a courageous and ever focused leader like Buhari cannot be deterred by evil whispers as he is more committed to leap-frog Nigeria to a high pedestal and deliver her from the bondage of self-infatuated cabal who are determined to ruin the effort of this administration.

“I therefore urge the entire country to remain patient and law abiding and continue to pray for our dear president instead of wishing him dead which may metamorphosed into another crisis entirely,” he added.