A photo taken on October 8, 2021, shows APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, shortly after his return from the United Kingdom.
Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has returned to Nigeria after undergoing knee surgery in London, United Kingdom.
He returned to the country on Friday evening, a statement from his media office revealed.
According to the statement, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, had surgery on his right knee during his trip abroad.
He later underwent ‘rigorous post-surgery physiotherapy’ on the said knee following the operation. “Contrary to unfounded rumour, he underwent no other surgical procedures and contemplates none in the future,” the statement said.
“His recuperation has been without complication and ahead of the schedule by the attending surgeon.
He has returned fully healed from the knee surgery and fully committed to doing his modest part of advancing the cause of progressive democratic good governance throughout our beloved nation.”
Tinubu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, governors, and other political leaders who visited him while he was in the UK.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari cannot support anybody aspiring for the presidency in the 2023 general elections at this time.
Mr Femi Adesina believes such a move will amount to taking an action before the appropriate time.
“The President still has two years less three months in his tenure of office,” he said on Friday when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“So, for him to start supporting somebody now will just be like jumping the gun and you know that President Buhari will never do that.”
Adesina was responding to a question about President Buhari’s position on the possible intention of the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to succeed him as the next President.
A Show Of Support?
To buttress his point about the importance of appropriate timing, Mr Adeshina recalled a scenario before the last general elections.
“Before the 2019 elections, people began to campaign for him (Buhari) before INEC blew the whistle for campaign to start. He was the one who came out to say ‘no, don’t do it; don’t jump the gun’; the President himself will dare not jump the gun in terms of supporting one candidate or the other,” said Adesina.
“Also, recall that he had said anybody that wants to be President after him should go out and work; that means the President may not be supporting anybody until maybe perhaps a candidate of the party emerges. Knowing President Buhari, he will never jump the gun.”
Buhari, Tinubu meets in London. Photo: Facebook/Bashir Ahmad.
President Buhari returned to Nigeria on Friday after about three weeks he travelled to the United Kingdom for an education summit and a medical check-up.
While on the trip, he visited Tinubu – who was reported to be ill – in London.
Some have described the President’s meeting with the APC leader as a show of support for Tinubu’s possible presidential ambition.
Adesina, however, dismissed the claims. “That meeting actually happened, but it is all about goodwill and best wishes.”
“We know that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been in London about the same time the President was there. We don’t believe what we read in social media, but we have read a lot about Asiwaju Tinubu’s health, so the President’s visit was a goodwill visit,” he clarified.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday said the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is hale and hearty.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed this while briefing journalists at the Lagos House Ikeja on his visit to the APC National Leader in London, the United Kingdom on Tuesday amid rumours that Tinubu was sick and hospitalised.
A few days ago, social media was awash that Tinubu was undergoing major surgery in Maryland, the United States over an undisclosed illness.
But the governor debunked the rumours, adding that he and Tinubu both held talks on happenings in APC and across the country.
To buttress his point, the Lagos governor also shared pictures of him explaining something to the party’s national leader.
“He is well, he is healthy and we conversed. We talked about what is happening in our party, what is happening in the nation and just to say to him that all is well,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“You saw him (Tinubu). Yes, indeed, I am the one you saw in the picture that I took when I visited our leader in London just to dispel all of the rumours that were flying around that he was sick and hospitalised.
“I went to see things for myself. It is just to put the mind and heart of people to rest that there is nothing for us to worry about,” the governor disclosed.
On when Tinubu would likely return to Nigeria, the governor didn’t give any specific date.
A photo combination of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Rather, he said the APC leader will decide when he will return from his foreign trip.
He added, “A man has discretion as to decide when to go out of the country and when to return. It is his call. Is he coming here to do Governor’s work? Can’t you see the picture we took together? The picture doesn’t lie.”
The governor’s reaction comes four days after Tinubu’s spokesman, Tunde Rahman, said his principal does not have any medical problem requiring hospitalisation.
In a statement he issued on July 31, he warned those he described as mischief makers to desist from spreading fake news, noting that those who wish Tinubu dead should be careful.
“Anytime he travels out of the country, the next thing some mischievous people would say is he is sick, hospitalized, or has died. It is shameful that perpetrators of this evil are not deterred by the fact that each time this fake news has been propagated, they have been proven wrong.
“Who really is afraid of Asiwaju Tinubu? Those wishing Asiwaju Tinubu evil or dead should be careful. They should know the matter of life and death is in the hand of only God Almighty,” Tinubu’s spokesman said.
A file photo of APC National Leader, Mr Bola Tinubu.
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is hale and hearty and does not require hospitalisation.
This is according to his media adviser, Tunde Rahman, via a statement issued on Saturday, amid reports that the APC leader is out of the country undergoing a surgical operation.
Although Rahman confirmed that his boss is not in the country at the moment, he, however, said contrary to some rumours, Tinubu does not have any medical problem requiring hospitalisation.
“His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is fine. He is hale and hearty. He is not in any hospital. He has no medical problem that would require hospitalization. Yes, he is out of the country at the moment. He will be back shortly,” the statement partly read.
He also warned those he described as mischief makers to desist from spreading fake news, noting that those who wish Tinubu dead should be careful.
“Anytime he travels out of the country, the next thing some mischievous people would say is he is sick, hospitalized, or has died. It is shameful that perpetrators of this evil are not deterred by the fact that each time this fake news has been propagated, they have been proven wrong.
“Who really is afraid of Asiwaju Tinubu? Those wishing Asiwaju Tinubu evil or dead should be careful. They should know the matter of life and death is in the hand of only God Almighty,” Tinubu’s spokesman added.
APC leaders from the South West pay a condolence visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa in Abuja on May 25, 2021.
Some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South West on Tuesday paid a condolence visit to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The President received the leaders, who came to sympathise with him on the death of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, and other military officers, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
They included APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu; former interim National Chairman of the party, Bisi Akande; and former Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba.
Others were former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Alani Akinrinade, and former APC National Vice Chairman (South-West Zone), Pius Akinyelure.
Attahiru, who was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff in January, died in a plane crash in Kaduna on Friday last week alongside 10 other personnel of the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force.
They included Brigadier-General MI Abdulkadir, Brigadier-General Olayinka, Brigadier-General Kuliya, Major LA Hayat, Major Hamza, Sergeant Umar, Flight-Lieutenant TO Asaniyi, Flight-Lieutenant AA Olufade, Sergeant Adesina, and ACM Oyedepo.
The remains of the late military personnel were later laid to rest amid tears on Saturday at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
In honour of the deceased, President Buhari directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast from Monday to Wednesday in all public buildings, facilities, and official residences across the country.
He had also approved Monday as a work-free day for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Highlights of the visit by Tinubu and other APC leaders to the Villa are captured in the pictures below:
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has denied the claim that he has endorsed any candidate for the forthcoming local government election in Lagos State.
In a statement on Sunday, he faulted the allegations of a plot to influence the party’s primaries, saying they were targeted to hurt the party.
Tinubu noted that the APC Governance Advisory Council in Lagos met on Friday last week to discuss ways to ensure the fairness of the primaries for the poll.
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would like it to be known, by way of this statement, that he has no preferred candidates for the upcoming local government primaries.
“He has no intention to endorse any of the people contesting for the party nomination in any election, whether for chairmanship or councillorship positions,” the statement said.
It added, “On this matter, Asiwaju believes he can speak for the rest of the GAC regarding their belief in the impartiality and transparency of the internal party process.
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the other GAC leaders seek a free, fair, and transparent process in which the candidates who emerge are those who gather the most support among the party rank and file. Only in this manner, do we best prepare ourselves for the general election.”
According to Tinubu, the integrity of the primary process is of the highest priority for the APC and all efforts must be geared towards the realisation of a free, fair, and transparent process.
To this end, he said party officials were obligated to establish the necessary arrangements to ensure orderly, peaceful, free, and fair primaries.
The APC leader added that the officials have been empowered to deal appropriately with any who might attempt to undermine or otherwise try to inject impair the party primaries, stressing the need for the party to adopt a policy of no tolerance.
He advised aspirants to embrace consensus wherever possible in order to reduce tension and avoid discord and in-fighting within the party.
“However, where consensus is not possible, fair and clean primaries must be held so that party members have a chance to choose the candidate they want from among the competing aspirants.
“All aspirants, however, must realise that only one person can win any given contest. While we encourage everyone to compete with zeal and energy, we encourage all aspirants and party members to respect the results of our primaries,” the statement said.
It added, “Once the primaries end, we must unite as a party so that we win the general elections thereby ensuring the continuity of progressive governance at the local government level throughout the state.
“In this vein, Asiwaju appeals to party leaders in all the local governments to allow democracy to flourish. He urges them to do everything humanly possible to protect and promote the democratic process.”
APC leaders and governors in the South West at the Lagos House in Marina on May 23, 2021.
Leaders and governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the south-west region have condemned separatist tendencies and violence in various parts of the country.
At a meeting held on Sunday at the Lagos House in Marina, the leaders expressed concerns over the insecurity situation in the country and asked the government to protect the victims.
Those in attendance included APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu; former interim national chairman of the party, Bisi Akande; former Chief of Army Staff, General Alani Akinrinade; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as well as his counterparts in Ogun and Osun States, Dapo Abiodun and Adegboyega Oyetola, also attended the meeting.
Briefing reporters at the end of the meeting, Akande noted that they have endorsed the position of the southern governors to ban open grazing and movement of cattle by foot.
As part of efforts to address the crisis between herders and farmers and douse the tension, the leaders asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to give support to those who want to set up ranching.
They also urged the Federal Government to consider the option of true federalism that would give more powers to the state governments.
True federalism, according to the APC leaders and governors, will help the states to better protect their territories.
“We endorse the position of the Southern Governors taken at their summit in Asaba regarding ranching.
“We do so because such a decision will lessen tensions between farmers and herders while also helping the long-term economic viability of both the farming and herding communities,” Akande told reporters.
He added, “We are mindful of the short-term dislocation this might cause but we are also mindful that this position is in the best interests of all parties concerned.
“We recommend that the Federal and state governments cooperate fully with one another to enact the necessary measures to encourage this more effective and modern method of cattle-rearing so that both farmers and herders can pursue their livelihoods with greater productivity and in a more cooperative relationship that minimises the friction between these two important pillars of our agricultural economy.”
Prior to the meeting, there have been calls for secession in parts of the country recently, especially in the south-west and south-east regions.
While some agitators held rallies to demand Yoruba nation in the west, others in the east have renewed their call for Biafra nation.
At a rally held on Saturday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was alleged to have given his support for Yoruba nation – a claim the governor has since refuted.
Rather, he declared his commitment to a virile, united, and indivisible Nigeria, stressing that separatist agitators were on their own.
A file photo of APC National Leader, Mr Bola Tinubu.
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is optimistic that Nigeria will overcome its current security challenges.
Speaking during the Special Ramadan Prayer Tafsir which held in Sunday at the Lagos House in Marina, Tinubu said Nigerians will feel safe under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
President Buhari had swept to power in 2015 on three cardinal promises – tackling security, fixing the economy and addressing power.
However, six years after defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ending its 16-year rule on Nigeria, insecurity seems to have worsened under the current APC government.
But Tinubu feels strongly that things will get better in the long run.
“We know when it started but we don’t want to give excuses. This government will perform, Nigerians will feel safe and be happy,” he said.
“There is the twist and tone in democracy. We just have to build, tolerate each other and express love and harmony.”
The APC National Leader said the Commander-in-Chief would not want Nigerians to be slaughtered, kidnapped, or killed.
While noting that the security issue has its own perspective, Tinubu warned against those politicising insecurity.
He explained that although the APC knows when the security challenges started, it will however not give excuses.
Nigeria has been experiencing a series of security threats ranging from terrorism, banditry, militancy, cultism among others in several parts of the country.
The country has been battling terrorism for more than a decade which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the northeast.
The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) split from the jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016 and has since become a dominant threat in Nigeria, attacking troops and bases while killing and kidnapping passengers at bogus checkpoints.
On March 1, jihadist fighters burnt down a United Nations humanitarian compound in the town of Dikwa after dislodging troops, killing six civilians.
Nigeria’s jihadist violence has spread to neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.
President Muhammadu Buhari exchanges pleasantries with former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, at the State House in Abuja on April 26, 2021.
The National Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, says that the security situation of the country requires serious evaluation and management.
He believes the present administration requires cooperation and understanding of Nigerians at this time.
Tinubu made the remarks on Monday night while briefing State House correspondents in company with an APC chieftain, Bisi Akande, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
“There is no president or leader that will want his nation fractured in tribalism, religious differences, and others; and it calls for serious management and serious evaluation and dialogue once in a while,” he said.
According to the former governor of Lagos State, the best way out of the national crisis, which is not exclusive to Nigeria, is cooperation and unity.
He denied sharing an unhealthy relationship with President Buhari and gave the assurance that the President would vacate office at the expiration of his tenure in 2023.
“Every nation will go through these curves and difficult times, and how we communicate it to the people, what are the areas to help make it easier for people to bear; those ideas have to be entrenched with the leadership of the country,” Tinubu added.
President Muhammadu Buhari receives former governors of Lagos and Osun States, Bola Tinubu and Bisi Akande, at the State House in Abuja on April 26, 2021.
President Buhari also received the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, who visited the Villa over the recent attacks by terrorists in his state.
Governor Zulum condemned the growing spate of attacks across the country, particularly in the renewed activities of terrorists in the North East.
According to him, there is a need for greater support from the Presidency to surmount the insurgency crisis that has left thousands killed and millions displaced in the troubled zone.
The governor also decried that the military has yet to receive the equipment ordered, noting that this might be responsible for the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria.
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Thursday described the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, as a voice of conscience.
He also commended the President’s wife for her virtues of sincerity and courage, as well as her contributions to the development of the country.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, made the remarks at the public presentation of a book on the First Lady, titled “Aisha Buhari: Being Different,” held on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He narrated the activities of Mrs Buhari during the 2015 general elections, saying they were instrumental to the President’s eventual success at the polls.
The event was organised by the Office of the First Lady, in collaboration with a gender-based non-governmental organisation – Women and National Development.
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, looks as Mr Bola Tinubu and Mrs Aisha Buhari exchange pleasantries at the event held on April 8, 2021.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; his wife, Mrs Dolapo; Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi; and former first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, were among the dignitaries physically present at the event.
However, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, was represented by the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi- Esan.
A Worthy Partner
The book, which was authored by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs and Administration, Hajo Sani, was reviewed by Professor Fatai Aremu of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (Kuru).
In his remarks, the vice president noted that Mrs Buhari has continued to be a worthy partner and an inspiration for several good initiatives that Nigerians have come to identify with the present administration.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo converses with First Lady Aisha Buhari during the launch ceremony of a book about the latter on April 8, 2021.
According to him, the book is not just an important addition to the literary canon on public life and Nigerian biographical history, but a window into the efforts of Mrs Buhari in empowering Nigerians.
“Aisha, as the world has come to know her, is kind-hearted; this made her transition to philanthropy and humanitarianism easy.
“When she became the first lady, her protective mien was exerted when women, children, and other vulnerable people are abused,” Professor Osinbajo said.
He added, “I have observed with keen interest, as she addresses many of the social concerns that have given her sleepless nights. She has, therefore, been a worthy partner and a beacon for some of the good things that Nigerians have come to identify with our government.”
A photo combination of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo has lauded the contributions of Bola Tinubu to the development of Nigeria, saying the country’s democracy cannot be complete without him.
Sanwo-Olu made this known on Sunday via a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, while felicitating with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his 69th birthday.
While describing Tinubu as a visionary leader and a rare mentor with exceptional abilities in various areas of human endeavours, he said the APC leader is a political pathfinder, nationalist and detribalised Nigerian, who has contributed in no small measure to the socio-political and economic growth of the state and Nigeria as a whole.
“The story of Nigeria’s democracy cannot be told without the name of the Jagaban Borgu written in gold. Thousands are today direct beneficiaries of his political benevolence,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“As a pathfinder, Asiwaju charted the developmental trajectory of modern Lagos, raising the bar of governance and public service in the State and indeed, Nigeria. A cheerful giver who cares about the welfare of the people, Asiwaju personifies tolerance and humanity.”
The governor also rejoiced with the family of the former governor, especially his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, friends, political associates, APC chieftains and members across the country on his birthday.
He added, “On behalf of my adorable wife, Ibijoke, the good people of Lagos State and entire members of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), I felicitate with our leader and mentor on his 69th birthday.
“As you march on to a higher pedestal in life, may The Almighty go with you every step of the way and may you accomplish more in the service of our dear country and humanity.”
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Strategy and Contact Committee, Abubakar Badaru, has dismissed reports suggesting a rift between President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu.
Badaru stated this on Thursday in Abuja during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“I think people wanted to see that and that will not happen. I believe it is all politics. President Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu and all the leaders of the party speak with one voice,” he said in reaction to whether Buhari and Tinubu are at loggerheads.
“We have pushed that story about President Buhari and Tinubu to certainly hit the polity. But it is not true. We know that the party is one indivisible and all the stakeholders are being carried along.”
Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru speaks during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on March 25, 2021.
Tinubu has been tipped in some quarters as nursing a presidential ambition, although the revered political leader has not officially confirmed whether or not he would join the 2023 presidential race.
His party, the APC has not decided yet which geopolitical region it would zone the presidential slot, even as calculations are on top gear as to who would succeed President Buhari, whose compulsory two-term constitutional tenure would elapse in two years’ time.
On Wednesday, the Presidency through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated categorically that there is no rift between President Buhari and his strong ally, Tinubu.
Shehu said the two leaders have a very strong commitment to the APC towards bringing Change, adding that this is a commitment they have made to the Nigerian people.
