The Presidency has slammed as false recent claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is critically ill and set for urgent overseas medical treatment.
The speculation stemmed from a Nigerian Institute for Investigative Journalism (NIIJ) report last week, which cited unnamed sources alleging the President was bedridden and that an evacuation plan was in motion. The report also claimed Vice President Kashim Shettima had been stepping in for Tinubu, resulting in the cancellation of some engagements.
Speaking to BBC Hausa on Monday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, AbdulAziz AbdulAziz, called the report “baseless” and politically motivated.
Questions over Tinubu’s health grew after he missed the August 3 ceremony celebrating D’Tigress, with Shettima representing him. His last public appearance was on August 1 at the opening of the Summit on Journalism for National Development, days after hosting the victorious Super Falcons.
The Presidency insists the President remains fully on top of his duties and described the health rumours as deliberate attempts to mislead the public.
