Nigeria’s Buhari to return to UK to consult with doctor

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to London on Tuesday for a ‘meeting with his doctor’, according to his spokesman, who stopped short of saying the trip was for a medical checkup.

The trip is likely to once again fuel speculation over the health of the septuagenarian, who recently announced a reelection bid amid concerns by some – including former President Olusegun Obasanjo -- that he is either too old or frail to continue in office.

“In the course of the technical stopover for aircraft maintenance in London on his way back from Washington last week, the president had a meeting with his doctor. The doctor requested the president to return for a meeting, which he agreed to do,” Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman, said in a statement late Monday.

Shehu said the president will return to Nigeria on Saturday.

Buhari was in London for months in 2016 and 2017 to treat undisclosed health conditions, which occasionally resulted in death rumors. Accusing him of underperformance, opposition groups and other critics have insisted Buhari is unfit for reelection.

But the health of the 75-year-old retired army general appears to have improved greatly compared to the last two years.