Anxiety Over Tinubu’s Whereabouts As Absence Slows Down Inauguration Plans

There is fresh anxiety over the health status of Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, due to his absence from Nigeria and public space for weeks.

Tinubu has not appeared in public since he left for France to take “a deserved rest” according to his media aide, Tunde Rahman.

The former Lagos State Governor who’s expected to be sworn in as Nigeria’s next president on May 29 left the shores of the country on March 21, a few weeks after he was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

The statement from Rahman said, “After a very exhaustive campaign and election season, President-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has travelled abroad to rest and plan his transition programme ahead of May 29, 2023 inauguration.

“The President-elect left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja for Europe on Tuesday night.

“The President-elect decided to take a break after the hectic campaign and election season to rest in Paris and London, preparatory to going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (Lesser Hajj) and the Ramadan Fasting that begins Thursday.

“While away, the President-elect will also use the opportunity to plan his transition programme. He is expected back in the country soon,” Rahman said.

But sources in APC confirmed to this medium that they do not know his whereabouts even as his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, evaded questions when confronted by our correspondent.

Onanuga jsimply said it’s “rumour” when quizzed that Tinubu has reportedly taken ill and the reason he has not gone to Mecca or be seen in public.

Onanuga refused to speak when asked about which country his principal is currently in, why he has not gone to Mecca as stated in the statement announcing his departure from the country and when he is expected back to the country.

However, a politician close to the Tinubu camp who is promoting a House of Representatives member-elect for the position of the Speaker for the 10th Assembly confided in this medium that “all is not well. I just returned from Lagos.”

The source said, “The fact that he’s not in Mecca or say he has not been confirmed to have gone there when it was promised that he would go for lesser hajj is giving us concern.

“He may be resting but people in Lagos are anxious. You can’t imagine the reports in Lagos that he had taken ill when I was there a few days ago,” the source who was a member of the House said.

Although the president-elect admitted to undergoing knee surgery in the UK in 2021, his health crisis has always made front pages with a series of hospitalisations in France and the UK.

In June, 2021, amidst death rumours, the APC presidential candidate was forced to return to the country.

The APC National Leader faced serious inquest into his health status during the run up to the presidential election following a series of gaffes he exhibited during the campaign.

He could not remember names of his parties or opposition parties, candidates of opposition parties, governors of some states, governorship candidates of some APC states and several other gaffes that left many bewildered and concerned if he would make a good president.

Onanuga insisted in a follow- up text to our Correspondent that Tinubu is healthy and “in France,” and that “Transition work is going on well.”

He added, “He (Tinubu) has two nominees, Gov. Bagudu and Wale Edun.

“I am on the media committee. The President elect is briefed periodically about the committee’s work. He is well represented,” he defended, failing to explain his absence from Mecca.

A source at the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, however, said there are fears that “things are not well. Plans are not going smoothly.”

The Head of Civil Service of the Federation is a member of the 22-man Presidential Transition Council which has two members appointed by Tinubu.

Tinubu nominated Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, and a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Olawale Edun, as PTC members.

The source explained that since the inauguration, the 22-member team has not met except a few sub-committees that are putting members through their paces with regular rehearsals.

When contacted, Mohammed Abdullahi Ahmed, the Director Press in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation said, “It’s a work in progress”. He however said no member can provide details of PTC except “the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”

But it was gathered that the concern is not Tinubu’s health alone, which has reportedly dampened the spirit of members of the PTC but “lack of communication” and “synergy between his team and the PTC,” a source revealed.

“The President-elect is inaccessible. There’s no synergy. In fact, there’s infighting in other committees because of sheer speculation on what’s right to be done.

“The committee is practically crippled, it’s stalled. It’s confusion and no progress,” the source added.

It was revealed that the only Committee functioning properly is the Transition Documents Committee which is headed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Facilities, Security and Intelligence Committee.

While the Transition Documents Committee operates without the inputs of the president-elect as it is responsible for compiling all policy, programmes, and projects of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Facilities, Security and Intelligence Committee is to organise necessary facilities, including furnished office and personnel for the President-and Vice-President-Elect and their transition team as well provide security for the President and Vice-President Elect before, during and after the 2023 Presidential Inauguration.

While these committees are operating smoothly by virtue of needing no inputs from the Tinubu camp, others are reportedly bogged down by indecision and lack of synergy following his prolonged absence, an aide close to a member of the committee said.

Members of the PTC, which was divided into 13 sub-committees are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as the Chairperson, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Chief of Defence, Inspector General of Police, Director, National Security Adviser, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Director General, State Security Services, Clerk of the National Assembly, and Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Others are Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries and offices responsible for Defence, Interior, Budget and National Planning, Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Cabinet Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), General Services, OSGF, Economic and Political Affairs, OSGF, and State House.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, who is Chairman of the Committee had assured that, “The transition process is on course and all efforts are being made to ensure that it is smooth and on 29 May, there would be peaceful formal transfer of power to the new president-elect,” sources said “the planning is in smoke.”

Also, a source at the Budget Office and National Planning claimed “there’s no progress report. I’m not aware the permanent secretary has attended any of the sittings.

“You can ask the Director Press but what I know is that, there has been no sitting. There have been complaints which I overheard them saying a few times,” he stated, requesting not to be quoted.

When contacted, Afolabi Olajuwon, spokesman of the Budget Office stated that, “The committee has been sitting, just that they are out now for the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington.”