"Jog Round the Stadium and Prove Your Fitness" PDP tells Buhari

I had a cold but it did not stop me, Buhari said.

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has blatantly refuted widespread reports that he is suffering from a terminal illness.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Buhari said the report on his state of health was orchestrated by some individuals not only to gain undue political advantage but to divert public attention from corruption which had assumed the front burner of national discourse. He said:

“There were reports that I was to jet out for medical check-up yesterday (Saturday) but here I am. I was in Nasarawa and Benue states yesterday (Saturday) and tomorrow, I will be in two states. The day after tomorrow (Tuesday), I will be in two more states. I sincerely don’t know how they got the impression that I was sick. I had a cold but it did not stop me from going through my schedule.”

Buhari also stated that a medical document purportedly confirming his alleged poor state of health was fake.

The Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital said the documents are forged. This desperation is beyond my comprehension. The issue we are letting Nigerians know is that there has been   much corruption in this country in the   last 16 years. The Peoples Democratic Party   has literally destroyed this country.”

When asked to make a categorical statement on his health, Buhari jokingly asked the reporter, “How old are you, 50 years? I can tell you that if we go to the field, you will not stay as long as I would.”

However, the PDP replied, and said that instead of denying the report, Buhari should prove to Nigerians that he is healthy enough to rule the country, by jogging round a stadium.

At a news conference in Abuja by the Director of Media and Publicity of its Presidential Campaign Organisation Femi Fani-Kayode, the ruling party said the rumour that the former Head of State was suffering from prostrate cancer was worrisome.

It said:

“The rumour that he is suffering from prostrate cancer is exceptionally worrying and it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us to pray for him if this rumour is true. 

We are constrained to urge him to prove to the Nigerian people that he really is as fit as a fiddle, as the spokesman of his PCO has said, by taking a brisk walk or even jogging around the perimeter of the stadium before any of his rallies. If he can do that, it will go a long way to allay the fears of many.”

Asked if the PDP was in possession of any medical report indicating that Buhari was suffering from any terminal ailment, Fani-Kayode said no