No one can compel the President to speak from vacation - Presidency

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, says no one can force President Muhammadu Buhari to speak from UK, where he is currently on vacation.

Buhari left the country last Thursday, on a 10-day vacation, and the presidency disclosed that he would undergo medical checkups before he returns to the country.

But there have been rumours on the state of his health, with some saying he died in a hospital.

Apparently to dismiss the false reports, the presidency released pictures of Buhari monitoring a Channels Television programme on Sunday, but the rumour mongers refused to back down.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC Africa on Thursday, Adesina insisted that Buhari is in London for vacation, and not in any hospital.

“When he was travelling last week, the statement we put out said he would be going on vacation and that he would undergo medical checkups, nothing has changed from what we pushed out last week,” he said.

“If anybody has fed anything else into the rumour mill, that is what it is – a rumour. No substance to it.”

Responding to a question on when Buhari would clear the air about his health, Adesina said: “The president is in London on vacation. He is not in any hospital and he is not ill. The fact that he is a president, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights.

“The president will talk if he wishes to. If he doesn’t wish to, nobody will compel him to talk.

“The truth is that the president is on vacation and he has given a date on which he will return to work.”