But a top government official has finally admitted that Buhari is sick. He, however, added that Mr. President is not terminally ill.
“The President is sick. But it will not be correct to say he is terminally ill. Illness has more to do with terminal disease. The President is only under the weather; he is not terminally ill,” he explained.
Before the announcement, however, arrangements were on to receive Buhari in Abuja, on Sunday, in preparation for his resumption on Monday. Officials were put on the alert pending the confirmation from the Protocol Unit on the time the President would arrive.
The National Youth Council of Nigeria had also said it had mobilised 15,000 youths across the country to join in receiving Buhari at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
As of the time the statement on the extension was released, State House correspondents were on standby to join the delegation that would receive the President.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, had, penultimate week, in an interview with CNBC Africa, monitored in Abuja insisted that Buhari was not ill.
Adesina had insisted that Buhari was only in London for vacation and was not in any hospital. He had said, “The President is in London on vacation. He is not in any hospital and he is not ill.”
Surprisingly, on Sunday, the same Presidency announced that Buhari’s 10-day vacation to the UK had been extended due to medical tests and waiting for the results and as thus his resumption date is still not known.
Thus, PDP and other groups in the country have insisted that the Presidency should not play games on Nigerians with regards to Buhari’s true health status. They say Nigerians deserve the truth.