African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is hospitalised in France, claiming the President’s prolonged stay in Europe is linked to an undisclosed medical condition.
Sowore made the allegation on Monday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, while discussing Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria after the expiration of the three-week working vacation initially announced by the Presidency.
Sowore claimed that unnamed “reliable sources” had told him Tinubu was receiving medical treatment in France. He did not identify the sources or provide publicly verifiable medical evidence to support the claim.
“Reliable sources have said Tinubu is undergoing treatment in France. Those once-in-a-while appearances are designed to fool the public.”
Sowore also compared the situation to the prolonged absences of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari during periods when questions were raised about their health.
He alleged that the explanation that a president could continue governing from outside the country had been used in previous administrations to address concerns over presidential health.
“They used the same language when Yar’Adua and Buhari were sick and in the hospital for a long time, saying the president can govern from anywhere.”
Sowore said he had been monitoring developments in Nigeria and the United Nations General Assembly while in the United States and questioned the circumstances surrounding Tinubu’s continued stay in France.
“Tinubu is hospitalised in France. I don’t know what ailment it is because we don’t have those details, and that is why they have not discharged him from the hospital.”
The allegation has not been independently verified.
The Presidency has given a different account of Tinubu’s situation, maintaining that the President is “hale and hearty”and has been carrying out official duties while abroad.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said on Sunday that Tinubu was on a working vacation and did not need to be physically present in Abuja to discharge his responsibilities. He said the President had continued meeting investors in France, including engagements connected to the proposed $7 billion Gateway Deep Seaport and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone in Ogun State.
The State House had earlier announced on September 21 that Tinubu’s working vacation had been extended by a few days. The President left Nigeria on August 30, travelling first to London before moving to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
As of September 28, Tinubu had not returned as initially expected. Reports subsequently indicated that his return had been moved to Tuesday, September 29, with Lagos expected to be his first destination before further official engagements.
The President’s prolonged absence has generated political debate, including questions about the constitutional provisions governing presidential absence and the role of Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
On Monday, the AAC filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging Tinubu’s alleged failure to transmit a written declaration to the National Assembly to enable Shettima to act as President under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
The court case and Sowore’s latest allegation are separate issues. The AAC’s suit concerns the constitutional procedure for presidential absence, while Sowore’s claim about Tinubu being hospitalised remains an allegation that has not been established by publicly available evidence.
The Presidency continues to maintain that Tinubu is well and working from Europe, while reports indicate that he is expected back in Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29.
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