APC shifted campaigns because we exposed Tinubu’s ailing health condition – Sahara reporters

Sahara Reporters, a Nigerian news firm has revealed why the the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council allegedly announced on Tuesday that the start of its campaigns, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, has been postponed.

Recall that the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council’s Director-General and the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, made the announcement.

According to the statement, the campaign council gave a face-saving excuse that the decision to broaden the campaign council list to include more stakeholders was what prompted the change in the timeline.

The governor noted that a new date for the kick-off would be announced soon.

SaharaReporters, however, insisted that it gathered and reported on Monday that the campaign might not kick off due to Tinubu’s failing health and his departure from Nigeria at midnight on Saturday for London to seek medical attention.

The former Lagos governor was expected to see his doctors at a Central London Clinic on Monday.

“Our principal, Tinubu is sick and tired. He is expected to see his doctors in London today at a Central London Clinic,” a source reportedly had told SaharaReporters.

Meanwhile, the campaign council’s statement on Tuesday, read, “Recall that we had earlier earmarked a peace walk and prayers for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, to officially kick-off our campaigns for the 2023 Presidential Elections.

“We had also announced that the members of the Campaign Council report at the Campaign Headquarters on that day to collect their letters of appointments.

“However, due to the expansion of the list to accommodate more stakeholders and interests within the APC family, we have decided to adjust the time-table of these activities in order to ensure everyone is on board before activities officially commence.
“Consequently, the activities earlier announced for the 28th of September will no longer hold.”
SaharaReporters’ story already stated that the sudden shift may not be unconnected to the report that Bola TInubu has jetted out to London to seek medical attention.

“He left Nigeria 12 midnight on Saturday. He ought to have launched the Presidential Campaign Council today but it was postponed till Wednesday for President Muhammadu Buhari to return from the US. However, it has now been postponed indefinitely.
“There is mass disaffection within the party currently,” the source had further revealed.

Meanwhile, APC had postponed the inauguration of its 422- member presidential campaign council (PCC) earlier scheduled for Monday to Wednesday.
According to Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for the council, members are also expected to participate in a “special prayer session” to usher in the presidential election campaign.

But SaharaReporters further revealed that sources had earlier told them that the inauguration would not hold on Wednesday with the latest developments.

In 2021 alone, Tinubu spent over 80 days patronising hospitals in France, the United States and the UK where he underwent surgeries amid the poorly equipped hospitals in Nigeria led by the APC government.

He was flown out of the country some days before Christmas in 2020 to Paris, France.

There were speculations that he tested positive for COVID-19 but his media aide later denied such reports. The APC leader returned to Nigeria on January 24, 2021, after an absence of about one month from Nigeria.

He then went for a medical check-up on Thursday, June 10, 2021, to France and was conspicuously absent from the one-day working visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos State.

“Tinubu is in Paris, France for a medical checkup. His health is deteriorating due to old age,” SaharaReporters claim a top source had told them.

Tinubu, amid death rumours, was forced to return to the country on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

SaharaReporters also reported that Tinubu was hospitalised in Maryland, the United States in July 2021 where he had knee surgery.

“Tinubu is hospitalised in Maryland, US. His health is failing. He couldn’t participate in launching his Arewa library, and he couldn’t participate in the Local Government Area elections last week. He could not attend today’s APC congress due to health reasons.

“He had surgery last week,” an authoritative source had disclosed at the time.
On August 9, 2021, Tinubu had another knee surgery at the John Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, United States.
The APC chieftain, it was learnt, left the US for the United Kingdom on crutches, a few days after the surgery.

Tinubu currently toes the path of President Buhari, who himself has spent hundreds of days on medical leave in the United Kingdom since he assumed office in 2015.