The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to retire in 2019 because Nigeria needs a stronger and healthier president to run its affairs for the next four years.
Afenifere stated its position through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin in reaction to a statement credited to U.S President Donald Trump who said his meeting with Nigeria’s President Buhari was lifeless.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Trump had told his aides shortly after the meeting that he never wanted to meet a person so lifeless again.
Mr. Odumakin said although Mr. Trump had issues of his own to contend with, he wasn’t far from the truth this time.
According to the Afenifere Chieftain;
“Nigeria is certainly one of the important nations of the world and would not be doing well to have Mr. Buhari, who has a history of medical vacation abroad, to manage her sundry challenges beyond 2019.
Nigerian presidency is one of the most demanding in the world, and one of the most powerful presidents in the world and therefore, he needs to be extra fit, both physically and mentally to be able to cope with the demands of the office.
If the health of our President is in such a state for the President of America to make such comments about his health, it shows clearly that if there is love for the country, the president should at the end of this four years, retire to his home and go and take care of his health and wanting to inflict another four years on this nation.”
Mr. Odumakin said further that the country did not need Mr. Trump to reveal the health status of President Buhari because the various medical vacations to London were an indication that all was not well in paradise.
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Also reacting to President Trump’s side rhetoric regarding President Buhari, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) described Mr. Trump’s comments as hate speech and disrespectful.
The chairman of the group, Niyi Akinsiju, reiterated that it was not the first time the U.S. President was heard to make such derogatory remarks at world leaders while encouraging president Buhari not be distracted by Mr. Trump’s comment.
“We are aware that President Trump’s disrespect for World leaders is not new; his comments on Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, calling him ‘meek and mild’; his reference to Germany’s Leader, Angela Merkel’s actions as ‘insane’, or his outlandish Tweet at the UK’s Theresa May, and more recently, the alleged remarks he made after meeting President Buhari.
It is indeed not the first time President Trump would be heard to lower the standards of respect for his colleagues on the world stage.
We are not surprised; we know that this age-long character of the U.S. President would not change anytime soon. But it is important that we put it on record that President Buhari remains fit and sprightly, even for the next decade.” He said.
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