How can Buhari be President and “a private citizen” at the same time?

by Alexander O. Onukwue

“President Buhari seems to be like a private citizen at the moment”

Those were some of the words of Ms Lauretta Onochie during her interview with Channels TV on the 8th of August, defending Buhari’s rights to not disclose his health details.

Ms Onochie, in that interview, called Nigerians “disrespectful” and “intrusive” because, being a private citizen, it was the prerogative of Muhammadu Buhari to choose to disclose or not disclose his health status to anybody.

So is Muhammadu Buhari now a private citizen?

It is a weighty claim which must bear consequences perhaps not thought of by Ms Onochie before making that statement. From one angle, that would be a justification for the relaxed body language the Presidency wishes to project about Buhari’s extended stay in London.

To them, he took the constitutionally required measure of handing over power to Prof Yemi Osinbajo to be the Acting President before departing the country on the evening of May 07, 2017. Hence, unlike the situation under President Yar’Adua in 2010, he is under no pressure of engendering a constitutional crisis by his absence. Also, they have allowed visitors to see Buhari and have produced pictures of him which the public can see and believe that Buhari is OK, even if to debunk rumours that he is on life support and invalid. They stand firm in saying that the President will return SOON but with no definite dates when such a return will happen.

For Ms Onochie and the other persons whose duty it is to speak for the president, Nigerians would have to recognize that Buhari is the President who has earned the right to stay in London for as long as necessary without any consequences simply because he handed power over to Osinbajo. He is also the private citizen whose being President does not make him accountable to Nigerians in matters of his personal health, even if it is Nigerians who bear the cost of the Presidential fleet being parked at Stansted Airport, as well as the visits of the First Lady and other persons who have visited him.

He’s not the type of “private citizen” who has to pay taxes or is in a public hospital in Nigeria for his treatment, but the type who can still contest the 2019 elections whenever he returns from London.

Swallow and Belch.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail