The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has raised concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s three-week leave in Europe, urging the Presidency to clear the air on rumours concerning the President’s health.

The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, yesterday, said the Presidency owed Nigerians an explanation on the circumstances surrounding the President’s lengthy absence from the country, including his itinerary, entourage and official engagements while abroad.

The APM said the need for clarification had become imperative amid apprehension in the public space that Tinubu might have become incapacitated.

It, however, stressed that there was nothing wrong with the Presidency providing Nigerians with information on the President’s health, noting that transparency on the matter was consistent with practices in other countries.

According to the party, the President’s decision to embark on an extended leave at a time when the country is grappling with serious security and economic challenges had heightened public concern.

The statement said: “The Presidency owes it as a duty to officially furnish Nigerians with information on the President’s health, details of the lengthy leave, including his itinerary, entourage and schedules while he is abroad.”

The party also linked the President’s absence to what it described as unresolved questions surrounding an alleged FBI report relating to a drug-related case involving Tinubu, saying the development had further fuelled public apprehension.

The APM maintained that Nigerians had a right to know the state of health of the President, stressing that “nobody is above human frailties.”

It also launched a scathing assessment of the Tinubu administration, accusing it of worsening the country’s economic and security challenges in the past three years.

The party claimed that the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy and tax reforms, had imposed severe hardship on Nigerians and businesses.

It alleged that 63 per cent of Nigerians, representing about 140 million people, had been pushed below the poverty line as a result of the government’s policies.

The APM further criticised the Federal Government over its borrowing, claiming that the nation’s debt had risen to N159.28 trillion, with little to show for the loans.

The party alleged that a significant portion of the borrowed funds had been diverted by corrupt officials of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), although it did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation.

On security, the opposition party accused the administration of failing to adequately protect lives and property, alleging that more than 628,000 Nigerians had been killed and 2.2 million abducted since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.

The APM urged the President to use his vacation period to reflect on his administration’s record and reconsider his reported ambition to seek another term in office in 2027.

It argued that the demands of the presidency at the present time required an energetic and younger leader capable of responding effectively to the country’s economic and security challenges.

“The tasking demand of the office of Nigeria’s President at this critical time requires an energetic individual who is not above the age of 60 years, with the vitality, capacity and faculty to connect and drive contemporary leadership realities,” the party said.

The APM consequently urged Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support its presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

The party described Makinde as a young and energetic politician who had demonstrated leadership capacity through his administration of Oyo State.

It claimed that Makinde had transformed Oyo into a foremost economically viable state, surpassing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in revenue allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

The APM said it expected Makinde to replicate his achievements in Oyo State at the national level if elected President in 2027.

The party reiterated its call for the Presidency to provide Nigerians with clear and credible information on Tinubu’s health and activities during his extended stay in Europe. (The Guardian)