Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the manner of President Bola Tinubu’s return to Nigeria, accusing successive administrations of using public appearances to deflect concerns over presidential health.
Sowore reacted in a Tuesday post on X shortly after Tinubu returned to Lagos from his extended stay in Europe and declared himself “healthy and sound.”
The AAC candidate said Nigeria had repeatedly witnessed similar situations under former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that concerns over presidential health should not be dismissed without accountability.
“We’ve been here before: Nigeria is repeatedly used as health insurance for sickly and worn-out presidents, who are then packaged and presented to the public in stages airport ceremonies while the same failed performances are repeated and the country is further destroyed,” Sowore wrote.
He alleged that the same political actors involved during the Yar’Adua and Buhari administrations were now operating under Tinubu, adding that Nigerians were being expected to move on from concerns over the President’s prolonged absence.
“No shame, no regrets and they want you to move on as though nothing is wrong,” he said.
Sowore’s reaction followed Tinubu’s return to Lagos on Tuesday after about four weeks in Europe on what the Presidency described as a working vacation. The President had left Nigeria on August 30, spending about a week in London before proceeding to Paris.
Speaking to journalists after arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Tinubu dismissed rumours about his health, saying, “I enjoyed myself. I’m ready to kick. I’m ready to work. Well, rumour will always be emanating from politics. But, the fact remains I’m here. Healthy and sound.”
Sowore had, a day earlier, alleged during an Arise News interview that Tinubu was undergoing treatment in France, while acknowledging that he did not know the nature of the alleged ailment. The claim has not been independently established.
The Presidency has repeatedly rejected concerns about Tinubu’s health. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said before the President’s return that Tinubu was “hale and hearty.”
Tinubu is expected to remain in Lagos for Independence Day activities and meetings with political leaders and associates ahead of the 2027 elections before returning to Abuja.
