The Presidency has explained why there is no date mentioned for the return of President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Buhari now has enough time to rest after extending his vacation.
Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, in an interview on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) said that this was so because there is “no vacuum in government”.
Adesina said that since there was Yemi Osinbajo in place as acting president, Buhari could take as much time as needed for an adequate rest.
He said: “When he was leaving on January 19, we announced that it was a vacation during which he would also do routine medical check-ups.
”Now, those check-ups have thrown up things that need to be further looked at and that is why he is asking for this extension of the vacation.
“The time is not stated and that reason is not far to seek because Mr President transmitted power to his vice, who is now the acting President.
“So, he does not need to be under that pressure of time again because there is no vacuum in government, there is an acting president.
“Therefore, the doctors can now exhaustively look at him and give him a clean bill of health before he returns home.”
Adesina urged Nigerians to desist from rumours of President Buhari’s alleged death because it was ungodly.
Instead, he said, Nigerians should always pray for the good health of the president.
“My message will be what I also said before, goodwill, let us have goodwill towards our president.
“We as human beings must have goodwill towards one another. Any man can be sick; any man can get well; any man can even die, we are mortals. Anybody can die; anybody falls sick can also get well.
“Therefore, all those who peddle those evil, mischievous, malicious and malevolent rumours on social media need to have a rethink. Instead of all those evil wishes they should have goodwill towards the president.”
Recall that President Buhari departed Abuja for the United Kingdom on Thursday, January 19, on a 10-day leave as a part of his annual vacation after formally handing over mantle of leadership of the country to his Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Meanwhile, another presidential aide Garba Shehu, who is the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, has insisted that the president was not in a hospital as being widely circulated but at the Nigerian High Commission in UK.
He said: “I just spoke to the president’s personal doctor, and he told me President Buhari is not in any serious condition as to worry about.”