The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has expressed his frustration over the campaign of calumny by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against him, dismissing allegations propagated by the ruling party over his health, his stewardship at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and the controversy over his failure to submit photocopies of his academic credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Buhari, who spoke on Sunday at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, alongside the APC governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, described as unfortunate the amount of energy dissipated by PDP on his health and academic credentials.
He wondered how the PDP got the impression that he had prostate cancer, when all he had recently was a cold that did not deter him from his campaign rallies across the country.
“This desperation of misinformation that is being passed around will do nobody any good because our minds are being taken away from the serious issues of corruption and incompetence by the PDP.
“How they got the impression that I was sick, I do not know although I got a cold and that did not stop me from going through my schedule. A national daily reported that I was to jet out for a medical check-up yesterday, but here I am.
“I was in Nasarawa and Benue States yesterday. Tomorrow, I am going to be in two states. The day after tomorrow, in two more states. I am doing two states per day. How they got the impression that I was sick, I do not know although I had a cold, but that did not stop me from going through my schedule,” said a visibly irritated Buhari.
Buhari insisted that he was as fit as a fiddle, adding that it was not true that he was planning to jet out of the country for medical treatment as was reported in the media.
Still on the document flying around regarding his alleged ill health, Buhari said: “I don’t know of this desperation. The issue we are telling Nigerians is that of corruption in this country for the last 16 years under PDP has literally destroyed this country.
“That is the issue, so what does my health have to do with that? And documents from ABUTH (Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital) that have been put in the papers, on tweeter, that I am sick are forged. This desperation is beyond my understanding.”
When asked to make a categorical statement on his health, Buhari jokingly asked the reporter, “How old are you, 50 years? I am telling you if we go to the field, you would not last the time I will last in the field.”
Buhari also responded to the accusations by the PDP that he did not have the required secondary school certificate to contest the presidential election, describing it as the height of misinformation and desperation.
The former military head of state added that there was no basis for the allegation of fraud levelled against him by the ruling party regarding his management of the affairs of the defunct PTF.
Buhari said he had contested three times under same rules set by the INEC where the basic educational qualifications had applied.
“Why didn’t Nigerians ask when I contested three times under the same rules set by the INEC whether the basic educational qualification had been met and I was allowed to contest all these elections because my certificate was in order.
“There are individuals who wrote to the United States War College and the college responded and it was published by some of your papers.
“So really, this desperation for misinformation that is being passed around will do nobody any good because our minds are being diverted from the serious issues of corruption and incompetence by the PDP,” he said.
Buhari explained that he had decided to speak on the allegations in order to bring to an end the distractions being caused by the continuous misinformation.