Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for president, said Friday night that he was not only well and eager to serve Nigeria, but also rejected rumors regarding his health.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) was set to conduct its first meeting on Tuesday.
After Tinubu was unable to attend the signing of the peace agreement in Abuja last week, rumors about his purportedly failing health and eventual demise began to circulate. Tinubu notably skipped the drill that the other presidential contenders participated in. Senator Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State and vice presidential candidate for the ruling party, attended the function in Tinubu’s place.
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But Tinubu, who appeared in a video lasting just seven seconds yesterday, which was posted on his verified Twitter handle and the Facebook of Tinubu Support Group (TSG), was seen riding a spinning bike.
Tinubu tweeted, “Many have said I have died; others claimed I have withdrawn from the presidential race. Well…nope. This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy and I am ready to serve Nigeria from day one.”
APC had initially scheduled a Peace Walk and Prayers for September 28, to officially kick off campaigns for the 2023 presidential election and other activities, but it was put off indefinitely. This was after Tinubu jetted out of the country to London, following the release of the list of the 422-member campaign council, which plunged the ruling party into a crisis.
Curiously, the campaign list was immediately disowned by members of the National Working Committee (NWC), who frowned on the release of the names without recourse to the leadership of the party.
That was followed by a leaked letter purportedly written by the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, to Tinubu, demanding withdrawal of the 422-member campaign list.
Adamu had in the letter warned that any sign of disarray in the party would undermine the spirit and ethos of the campaign and give the undue alarm to members and followers of the party across the country.
But as the controversy continued, Adamu, in another statement by the national publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Felix Morka, said the letter for withdrawal of the campaign list did not emanate from him.
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Nevertheless, APC decided to expand the membership of the council to over 2,000 to accommodate all interests and prevent the party from drifting as the February 28 presidential election approached.
Sources stated that the inaugural PCC meeting, involving all directors and PCC leaders in all the states of the federation, had been scheduled to hold on Tuesday, barring any last-minute changes.
Many have said I have died; others claim I have withdrawn from the presidential campaign.
Well… Nope.
This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy and I am READY to serve Nigerians from Day One.#BAT23 pic.twitter.com/qqPkgSDYjs
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) October 2, 2022
