Orji Kalu says Tinubu, not in sickbed

Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu has shrugged off several claims which say that the Nigerian president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in a sick bed.

The health status of Bola Tinubu has so much been deliberated on recently, with rumours circulating that he is unwell and receiving medical treatment.

However, Kalu, while making a remark during a celebration of Mass in Abuja to mark his 63rd birthday, dismissed the claim stating that the president-elect is not sick.

“Our President-elect is not sick,” he stated unequivocally. “It is not true that he’s sick. I don’t want to say much. He is in good health; he is himself.” Kalu went on to recount a conversation he had with a colleague about Tinubu’s health”.

The former governor of Abia state while speaking said one of his colleagues said yesterday he heard that the President-elect, Tinubu, was in the hospital. 

“I told him the incoming president was not in the hospital, it is not true that he is in the hospital. We argued. I told him the President-elect was okay”, he said.

The rumours about Tinubu’s health began to circulate on March 22 after the 2023 presidential elections when reports claimed that he had been secretly flown out of Nigeria for medical treatment.

Tinubu was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the president-elect having polled a total 8,805,420 votes while Atiku gathered 6,984,290 votes making him the second position with Peter Obi following closely with 6,093,962 votes.

Tinubu had reportedly taken ill after months of uninterrupted political campaigning. However, his media team quickly denied these reports, stating that the President-elect only travelled to Paris and London to rest after these several series of campaigns prior to the 2023 presidential election in February.

Despite these denials, Nigerian citizens continue to speculate about Tinubu’s health and whereabouts.