Nigerian opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party has demanded an immediate explanation as President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja for France on what the Presidency described as a private visit.
The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, stated that the insecurity and the state of the nation’s economy made it the worst time for Tinubu to embark on a foreign trip.
This was as the spokesman for the LP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, alleged that there was a hidden agenda for the trip and mentioned that the President was sick.
Africa Today News, New York President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday departed Abuja for Paris, France, for a private visit.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed this in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu travels to France.’
Although the statement did not state the reasons for the visit, Ngelale said, “He will return to the country in the first week of February, 2024.”
Wednesday’s visit was Tinubu’s third to France since he assumed office eight months ago.
On June 20, 2023, three weeks after assuming office, Tinubu opened his foreign schedule in the city he last visited as President-elect, Paris, the French capital.
During his four-day stay, the Nigerian leader participated in the Paris Summit for the New Global Financial Pact, to “review and sign a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on the priority list for support and investment, following the devastating impact of climate change, energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement signed by then-Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, read.
In September 2023, the President spent nine days with world leaders in New York, USA, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which began on September 19, his first UNGA as President.
Afterward, he proceeded to Paris, France, where he remained for five days, arriving in Abuja on September 29 ahead of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day anniversary on October 1.
Reacting, the PDP scribe, Abdullahi, in a phone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, challenged the Presidency to come clean regarding the President’s travel to Paris, France.
He said, “The feelers we are having are that he (Tinubu) has gone for medical treatment as usual because that is where his doctors are. So, we challenge the Presidency to come clean and explain to us the details of his ailment.
“Though he’s been around for some time. We commend his decision to stay back, but we also would want it to be sustained. For now, we are wishing him well but we are asking his handlers to come clean and tell us what exactly is disturbing him, what he has gone for, and how he intends to avoid incessant trips because the machinery of state and the life of over 250 million Nigerians are in his hands.
“We will be concerned as Nigerians because the state of the nation is appalling economically, politically, security-wise, the nation is under siege. This is the worst time for a leader who understands his responsibility or mandate requires of him. These are not the best of times for Nigerians, they are living on imagination first of all from the economic angle. Nigerians are also in palpable tension from the security angle. Nigerians are equally disturbed about even the uncertainty from the political angle.
“What is the state of the nation? What is their presidency, going to shun out for them? How is the implementation of the budget? All of those things are shrouded in mystery. And at a time that we need our president to be around and discharge the functions of his office, as he has sworn to do. We’re not getting him at any time we want him.”
The LP spokesman, Tanko, described President Tinubu’s travel as unacceptable.
According to him, “We are back to another Muhammadu Buhari, who prefers to travel than to lead. The fact is that President Tinubu has a health challenge and they are trying to cover up the health issues. The last time we saw him was when he was in Imo. And I noticed that his hands were shaking. That is to tell you that probably his state of health called to question.”
He continued, “So the fact remains that when you see it shady exit of the President without detailed information, then you must question it. That means that there’s a hidden agenda somewhere.