Two aides of
President Muhammadu Buhari last night said the ailing Nigerian leader might
head home within a week, subject to clearance by his doctors. In an interview
on
the condition of anonymity, one of the two sources also claimed that some of
the president’s latest health symptoms revealed in our recent reports arose as
adverse reactions to drugs prescribed for Mr. Buhari since he arrived in the
UK. The symptoms include memory loss and speech impairment.
“Mr.
President [Buhari] is getting better and wanting to return to Nigeria very
soon,” one of the two sources said. Despite our correspondent’s pressure, the
source declined to disclose any specific date for Mr. Buhari’s return, saying
the matter “totally depends on his doctors.”
There were
earlier speculations that President Buhari would return to Nigeria by today,
but our two sources said they were not sure about the source of such
speculations.
Asked why
the President had not spoken to his vice or revealed the true nature of his
sickness to Nigerians, despite his avowed transparency and honesty, one of the
sources told SaharaReporters, “Sickness is not a matter you just start
broadcasting to everybody. Remember that Mr. President, after his return to
Nigeria in March, told Nigerians that he had never been so sick in his life. I
think that statement has already disclosed enough about his health.”
The latest
claims by the presidential sources that Mr. Buhari was on the cusp of returning
to Nigeria seem triggered by our latest report that the chronically sick leader
had suffered speech impairment and a worsening of memory loss in the course of
his medical treatment in London.
One of the
Presidency sources said he was in no position to discuss the specifics of Mr.
Buhari’s treatment, but disclosed that part of the president’s treatment had
led to “some side effects.” Asked if the side effects included speech problems
memory loss, the source obliquely acknowledged those side effects. However, he
claimed that “the issues [side effects] are temporary. They occurred after the
medical team administered a particular medication on Mr. President.”
The same
source revealed that President Buhari had been receiving blood transfusions to
help improve his health.
Mr. Buhari
left Nigeria for the UK some 47 days ago to continue medical treatment for an
undisclosed ailment believed to be cancer. Since arriving in London, Mr. Buhari
has not been seen in public, but has been ensconced in the Nigerian
Presidential Guest House in London known as “Abuja House”. The President has hardly
spoken to his vice, now acting President Yemi Osinbajo, since he left. The lone
exception was two weeks ago when the gravely sick president held a short-lived
telephone conversation with Mr. Osinbajo. Mr. Buhari spoke with such
incoherence that the conversation had to be ended abruptly.
This year
alone, President Buhari has spent more than 100 days outside of Nigeria on
account of his failing health. There remain major concerns that Mr. Buhari
would remain frail as he suffers from age-related infirmities in addition to
the chronic health condition that took him to London. Officially 74 years old,
the president is believed by some to be much older.
Even if
President Buhari returns to Abuja within a week as claimed by some of his
aides, including the ones we interviewed, it is almost certain that he would
soon need to return to the United Kingdom to continue treatment.
An
opposition politician told SaharaReporters that members of a cabal close to the
ailing President have renewed their plan to return him to Nigeria to assume
office after his current prolonged absence.
Some members
of that cabal were last week in Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj. The
opposition politician, who asked for anonymity, said the group “used the lesser
hajj as a cover to hold clandestine meetings with Senate President Bukola
Saraki as part of their design to control power.” He identified Issa Funtua, an
in-law of the President, as the leader of the cabal in Saudi Arabia.
Saharareporters
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