Medical Vacation: Declare your state of health now - Rights’ groups tell Buhari

A coalition of human rights’ groups under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has called on President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, General Muhamamdu Buhari(rtd) to declare his present state of health as stipulated by the the Chapter (VI),Part 1 of section 144 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ,saying that the indefinite emergency vacation being taken by Mr. President since January 19th,2017, was a great testimony that General Buhari(rtd) was hidden his state of health from Nigeria Public.

The Coalition also urged the handlers, particularly, the aides, of President Buhari to stop lying on the true state of the health status of Mr. President because Mr. President has become the general property of the Nigerians which made him to be living on the tax payers’ money since assumption of office in May 29, 2015, maintaining that it was totally wrong for Mr. President to just go on a medical vacation for his health related problem in foreign land without informing the public about the true nature of his health as Nigeria public ought to know the health status of their President.

Meanwhile, it faulted the Chairman; Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim of All Progressives Congress, APC, Katsina South senatorial District on the State statement credited to him in the media on Tuesday that President Muhammadu Buhari was not sick, but only exhausted as a human being, calling on Senator Ibrahim to tell his kinsman, Mr. President to talk to Nigerians in the next 24 hours from London Hospital or keep silent forever on this issue of national importance.

It however gave seven (7) days ultimatum to President Buhari to disclose his state of health to the Nigerian people in order to stem the rumours peddling around by the members of the public, noting that it was national embarrassment and monumental failure of Buhari’s
administration in the health sector of the country, recalling that President Buhari had gone for medical vacation in more than four (4) times since assumption of office in May 29th, 2015.

The group were drawn from; The Christian Awareness Mission Group(CAMG),Passengers Fundamental Rights Group(PATRGIA),The Islamic Political Awareness Group(TIPAG),Centre for Social Justice and Equity of Nigeria(CESJEN),Veteran Groups for Operation Clean Crusade(VGOCC), Apata-Aiyeraye Social Political Volunteer Group(ASPVG), De-Mainstream
Independent Group(DMIG) and Coalition Against Illegal Arrest & Unlawful Detention (CAIA&UD).

Others were; Centre for Constitutional Rights and Counter Corruption Crusader, Save Lagos Group(SLG) ,The Conscience Mainstream(TCM),African Masses Voices for Survival (AMVS),The Christians Youths for the Peoples’ Rights and Development(CYPRD),Islamic Movement for Muslims’ Rights(IMMR),Divine Nigerians Liberators for Peoples’ Fundamental Rights(DNLPFR) and The Christians Volunteers Groups for Good Governance in Nigeria(TCVGGGN).

Speaking through its National Coordinator, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, in a statement which was made available to Journalists on Wednesday, after their emergency meeting on the “State of Nation” in respect of President Buhari’s illness which made him to be incapacitated to perform his official duties as democratically elected President of Nigeria, requesting from the wife of the President, Hajia Aishat Buhari and President’s aides to tell the Nigerians at home and abroad where about of the nation’s President, advising the the National Assembly to rise above selfishness and put the nation’s interest first by doing the needful to swearing the Acting President as the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria as stipulated in the constitution guiding our democracy because it seems Buhari has been
incapacitated and unable to discharge his duties as President of Nigeria.

They stated that: “By now, General Muhammadu Buhari(rtd) and Presidency should come out to tell the Public, the present state of Buhari’s health which made him to take sudden medical vacation from office as well as indefinite possible non-return to the country in the next few months.

Section 144 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Freedom of Information Act had empowered the citizens of the country to know their President’s health status and Buhari should remember that he has become the property of Nigeria since May 29th, 2015.

Continue receiving treatment by President Buhari from foreign hospital at this point in time, was an indictment on the present administration health policy in the land and national embarrassment”.

The statement therefore recalled that during the build up to the 2015 Presidential election campaign rally in Kogi and Ekiti States, General Buhari had declared that it was wrong for any political office holders and government officials in the country to be patronizing Oversea hospitals and promising, if elected to the Nation’s President office, he would put stop to it, noting that ’Charity must beginning at home’ and to our dismay, Buhari has chosen to be receiving medical treatment in foreign land, which was contrary to his electioneering campaign.