SaharaReporters has learned from sources
at the Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s doctors have
advised him to shelve the idea of returning soon to the daily routine of
running Nigeria on account of the gravity of his illness. However, some
of Mr. Buhari’s closest associates are goading him to defy the doctors’
recommendation and to take up the reins of power once more in Nigeria.
President
Buhari left Nigeria on January 19 on what was supposed to be a 10-day
medical leave. He has since twice postponed his return date even as
several government officials and his close aides have continued to
characterize him as “hale and hearty,” insisting that he was still
vacationing and would soon return to Nigeria.
However, our
sources, who are well briefed about Mr. Buhari’s health, disclosed that
doctors managing the president have been unequivocal in warning that his
condition would certainly deteriorate should he return to Nigeria
without completing the first stage of his treatment.
According to
one of the sources, the Nigerian president’s condition has been
downgraded to “full blown illness” even by members of his kitchen
cabinet who are now quietly admitting that he is “ill.” However, the
ailing president’s closest associates remain averse to disclosing to the
Nigerian people the nature of Mr. Buhari’s illness.
Saharareporters
learnt that the president’s deteriorating health has got to a point
where doctors are taking “extreme measures” to ensure that he eats. Mr.
Buhari has progressively lost weight due to his illness and course of
treatment, our sources disclosed.
SaharaReporters learned that
the pool of aides traveling with President Buhari have extended their
hotel booking in London by at least one month starting from February 6th
2017. This means that the earliest Mr. Buhari would make it back to
Nigerian soil is in early March.
However, our sources revealed
that some members of the president’s inner political circle continue to
pressure Mr. Buhari’s doctors in the UK to allow him to return to Abuja,
even if for a short time, in order to give the impression that his
recovery was on course. We understand that the UK doctors have so far
resisted the pressures, stating that it would be professionally
irresponsible of them to clear Mr. Buhari at this stage to take up the
demands of the Presidency. “I understand that the doctors [in the UK]
have made it clear that Mr. President’s flight back to Nigeria could
complicate things for him,” one source said.
Another group of
Mr. Buhari’s supporters have asked the ailing president to authorize his
doctors to address the Nigerian people directly about his health
situation. However, members of the president’s inner cabinet have
staunchly opposed this disclosure, arguing that, since Mr. Buhari had
handed over to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, there was no need to make
further revelations since the VP has been vested with all the
constitutional powers to run Nigeria.
Some political figures,
particularly governors of some northern states, have been spending
extending times in London and making efforts daily to meet with the ill
president. However, such meetings with Mr. Buhari have also become
difficult to arrange since the ailing president’s doctors have cautioned
against his meeting and smooching with visiting politicians, citing the
significant drain on his already low energy. “The doctors have become
very stern in restricting access to him [President Buhari],” said one
source. “As a result, so many of the visiting politicians do not even
get to see Mr. Buhari before returning to Nigeria empty handed,” he
added.
As SaharaReporters earlier revealed, President Buhari’s
doctors in the UK have recommended that he would need at least a period
of four months away from power to receive the full regimen of treatment
for his several health challenges. A source said the president was
undergoing therapy related to his prostate, declining to be more
specific. A different source disclosed that the treatment had partially
affected President Buhari’s voice, at one point making it almost
impossible to hear him.
During the week, there were rumors in
Abuja that President Buhari would attend the inauguration of President
Adams Barrow in the Gambia. But one source at the Presidency dismissed
the rumor as “a ruse raised by some members of a cabal who are
determined to see that their power is not whittled down.”
Two of
our sources disclosed that President Buhari’s health issues were of a
chronic nature, adding that it was unlikely that the ailing president
would ever be in a position to meet the full demands of his office
whenever he returns to the country. “He is going to need regular trips
abroad for ongoing treatment,” one stated.
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