The Peoples Democratic Party has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians will not be swayed by his claim that he walked 800 metres to demonstrate his health status and thereby ready for second term in office.
Rather, the party said Nigerians would be looking for a competent and a knowledgeable President, who it said must have the capacity to tackle many problems facing the nation.
The PDP wondered why walking a mere 800 metres had become a thing of joy to warrant a statement from the Presidency.
It said that before the President and his aides could celebrate such a “feat”, the health situation of the President must have been in a precarious situation for some time.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, spoke with The Punch while reacting to the claim by the Presidency that Buhari demonstrated fitness for the second term by the walking.
Secondus wondered why “a mere walk” would become a yardstick to measure performance and readiness to lead a nation as big and as sophisticated as Nigeria.
It was believed that President Buhari decided to walk from the Eid praying ground in Daura to his private residence on Tuesday to show that he was not sick as being claimed by Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed that the President decided to take the walk to reply those insinuating he might not be of good health.
“The President is fit, he is healthy; he is good to go for the second term, “ Shehu added.
But the PDP asked, “Is Nigeria or are Nigerians looking for walkers to lead them or someone who has the capacity to lead and tackle their problems?”
Former president Atiku Abubakar also reacted, saying, “I regularly jog more than a mile & exercise, but it will be pedestrian of me to ask Nigerians to vote for me because of that. I want my party – the PDP, and Nigerians, to vote for me because I work not because I walk. I will work to create jobs. I won’t walk to create an illusion.”
