Abdulfattah Olajide
8 September 2008
President Umaru Yar'Adua will today make his first public appearance 19 days after he left the country for Saudi Arabia, Information Minister John Odey has said.
The minister also denied reports of a plot to remove Yar'Adua from office on the grounds of incapacity because of ill health.
Yar'Adua returned to Abuja in the wee hours of Saturday, but he has not been seen in the public since then, further stocking speculation about his health.
He left for Saudi Arabia on August 20 for the lesser hajj (umrah), but reports said he has all the while been at the King Fahd Military Hospital in Jeddah. Government officials insisted that he was performing the lesser hajj, though they later admitted that he used the opportunity to undergo medical check-up.
Yar'Adua is known to have a chronic kidney problem. His health was a source of concern even before he became president over a year ago. He had to be rushed to a hospital in Germany while he was campaigning in March last year, just weeks ahead of the presidential election. The president also visited the German hospital in May.
On Saturday, former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, alleged that some "political rascals who cannot succeed" were plotting to remove the president over his ill health.
Earlier last week, Lagos human rights lawyer Femi Falana wrote the National Assembly, urging it to investigate Yar'adua's health and impeach the president if he is found to be too ill to rule the nation.
Speaking to Daily Trust by telephone, Odey yesterday said he was not aware of any moves to remove the president on account of ill health. "I am not aware of any plot to remove the president," he said.
The minister added: "The president will make public appearance on Monday (today). He will resume duty and interact with everybody. Nigerians should be patient."
The president's non-appearance in public since his return has heightened speculations about his state of health. Some reports said yesterday that he was admitted into a local hospital where he is recuperating. Up till yesterday, no official statement was made on the president's true state of health.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Villa in Abuja remained quiet throughout yesterday just like it was on Saturday when the president returned. No visitors were seen in the Villa.
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