Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, says there is no need for power transition from President Muhammadu Buhari to his vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, following his medical vacation to the U.K.
Shehu said there will be need to hand over to Osinbajo since the president was only going to be away for two weeks.
Shehu also debunked speculations that the president was sick and needed urgent medical attention.
While speaking on a Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today’ monitored in Yenagoa on Tuesday, the media assistant said the President enjoyed some constitutional rights to operate from any location, given the fact that his physical absence wasn’t going to exceed 21 days.
READ ALSO: Buhari to spend two weeks medical vacation in London
He said:
Before he left, he just finished a meeting with security chiefs. He had excellent chat with the vice president, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief of Staff, so he has taken it all around.
If it is warranted that he signs documents, these are transmissible by wire, the internet is there and the president is equally internet savvy, therefore, work can continue without any obstruction from whichever location he is.
He will continue from wherever he is. The requirement of the law is if the President is going to be absent for 21days or more, then the transmission is warranted. So, in this particular case, the president is staying for only two weeks.
While responding to questions surrounding the president’s health trip to London, Shehu justified the trip to a foreign land, adding that the president had been under the medical supervision of some trusted health professionals for years.
According to him:
It is a medical trip, and there is absolutely no urgency or emergency. The president is not in any sick condition. It’s a routine medical checkup. The president has overtaken this with a set of doctors that he has known over many years.
He has done this before he came into office in 2015 and has continued to do that without any disruption. For last year, 2020, he couldn’t make it because of travel restrictions that were caused by COVID-19. It’s a routine and we are hoping that the president comes back after the check up.
When asked if the President was visited by doctors while the world was on a lockdown, Garba had this to say:
The President enjoyed good round of health. He chose this moment because it’s like a holiday season as Friday is a national holiday, so he’s taking advantage of the Easter season.
The medical trip made by president Buhari has continued to elicit reactions from Nigerians.
Some believe the president ought not to be leaving the seat of power in such a crucial moment in the country while others are just disappointed that the President Buhari-led administration has not been able to fix our healthcare sector enough to stop the spate of “medical tourism.”
