African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is receiving medical treatment in France, contradicting the Presidency’s insistence that he is on a working vacation.
Sowore made the allegation on Monday during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time, where he discussed the President’s extended stay in Europe and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Pressed for evidence, Sowore said his information came from sources he considered reliable, though he admitted he did not know what the alleged ailment was.
“It’s not what I’ve been told. It’s what I found out,” he said.
He said he spent the past two weeks in the United States, where he followed developments around the UN General Assembly and spoke to sources about the President’s whereabouts.
“There’s something I don’t want to disclose publicly here,” Sowore said, adding that “some of those reliable sources said that Tinubu has been undergoing treatment.”
He, however, said he had no details of the alleged condition. “I don’t know what ailment it is because we don’t have those details, and that is why they have not discharged him from the hospital,” he said.
Sowore further alleged that the President’s occasional public appearances were staged to make Nigerians believe he was carrying out his normal duties.
“Those apparitional appearances once in a while, where he’s meeting with people, is designed exactly to fool the public down here,” he said.
The claim comes as Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad continues to draw attention. The President left Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week annual vacation, first to London and then to Paris. The Presidency later said the working vacation had been extended by a few days.
The Presidency has repeatedly dismissed concerns about his health. On Sunday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu was “hale and hearty” and would return to Nigeria within the week.
Onanuga added that the President had continued to carry out his official duties while abroad, including meetings with investors in France.
Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UN General Assembly after the Presidency announced that Tinubu would not attend in person.
READ ALSO:
- Adichie, Husband Ask Court To Dismiss Euracare’s Suit Against Son’s Inquest
- XEJet Hit As Ground Handlers Withdraw Services Over N300m Debt
- NUTGTWN Urges FG To Revive Textile Industry To Create Jobs, Diversify Economy
- “Tinubu is undergoing treatment in France” – Sowore challenges Presidency’s vacation claim
- Tinubu: Nigeria’s Creativity Can Become Major Export Industry
