The Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina has said that President Muhammadu Buhari would not have gone against the advice of his medical doctors if he is declared unfit to run for election in 2019 for a second term in office.
The 75-year-old President Buhari, yesterday, Monday, declared his intention to run for presidential election in 2019 shortly before he left for London ahead of CHOGM.
Reacting to a contributor on whether the President is fit and healthy enough to go through the hassles of campaigns for the 2019 elections, on Channel Television programme via Skype, today, Tuesday, Adesina said: “the President is a very responsible man. If there had been any warning; any red light from his doctor, you know, he wouldn’t have ventured into it, unless you are telling me there is something you know that I don’t know.
“But I know the President, as a very, very responsible man. If there was any warning he wouldn’t do it.”
The President’s special adviser on media and publicity confessed that President Buhari took him and other presidential aides unaware when he announced his intention to run for re-election in 2019, saying that his declaration was in reaction to appeals by millions of Nigerians.
“Yes, there had been a lot of appeals. I have served in different meetings with different interest groups and all of them want him to run for second term in office.
“And do you know that whenever the president reacted to these groups he would speak on all other points they raised except the issue of second term.
“It has been like this in the past one year even before he went for medical vacation, these calls had started coming but Mr. President would not say a word and that reinforced my opinion that for him it was not a matter of do-or-die.
“It is just a matter of serving the country and If he feels that he has done it with the best of his ability that is just it.”
On the purported vote of no confidence allegedly passed on the President by Northern Elders Forum and the Council for Shariah, Adesina said that the two groups have the constitutional right to support anybody vying for political office in the country.
He cited an example of a former president of the country who equally failed to secure the votes in his state and region but ended up winning the presidential election twice.
Source: NAN
