A former Lagos state governor and National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu has dismissed the notion that a cabal is running the affairs of the country, saying he had it on good authority that President Muhammadu Buhari is in control of his government.
In a statement issued by Tunde Rahman, his spokesman, Tinubu asked Nigerians to trust Buhari to take the right decision about his health.
He urged those who have shown genuine interest in the president’s health not to be discouraged by the attacks which they had received.
“We voted for President Buhari because we trusted his ability to make decisions regarding complex issues of state. If we can trust him to handle difficult matters of governance, we can also trust him to make correct decisions regarding his personal health,” the statement read.
“The President Buhari I have come to know is an honest and responsible man and leader. When he returned to Nigeria on March 10, he disclosed to the nation that he had been sick to the extent that he received blood transfusion and would leave for further treatment at some future date. He said he would follow the counsel of his doctors and there is every reason to believe that he has been true to their counsel.
“Those who publicly speculate about the issue of the president’s health must keep all of this in mind. Much is at stake. We owe a responsibility to be wise and circumspect in what is spoken into the public ear.
“Many people have openly speculated about the president’s health. Some have done so for their own selfish reasons. These people shall be found out in time. There are many who have done so out of sincere concern for the president.
“These people should not be condemned for their heartfelt concern. However, they should be advised not to allow fear to ambush their better judgment and their courage. They should not give themselves to idle speculation. We should not buy into the myth of some cabal at work. Dwelling in empty speculation on the existence of some mythic cabal is not what the country needs at present. From what I can see, the president remains at the helm and his policies are being implemented.”
He also commended Buhari for assigning some responsibilities to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and urged those behind “unfounded speculations” not to become “unwitting tools of regressive forces”.
“The president is also showing his belief in process and partnership by assigning more responsibilities to the VP, which included presiding over meetings of the federal executive council, thus demonstrating his trust and implicit confidence in him,” he said.
“Unfounded speculation serves no purpose other than to encourage those who would rather derail the president’s progressive agenda and who would divisively pit one aspect of this nation against another. Such chatter may foment division where there was none and this might come to impair the management of the affairs of this country.
“By fomenting animosity among groups that have heretofore been allied, those who hold to the bankrupt politics of yesterday seek to thwart the president’s mission while claiming to support him. Those who truly care about the president and the important work he still must do should not allow themselves to become the unwitting tools of these regressive forces.
“We must stand with and beside our President. The unfounded speculation around his health should stop. We must not covet fear and rumours but should engage our creativity and enterprise to help the president accomplish his historic mission. Our greatest energies should be focused on righting this economy so that it provides a decent livelihood for all people. This critical path towards economic recovery must be followed for the sake of our children.”