Buhari in another letter to Conde also welcomed his (Buhari’s) nomination to lead African Heads of State in the fight against corruption, vowing to take up the duty with gusto once he got on his feet.
The letters came as seven governors, including two Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors left Abuja yesterday, to visit the President.
Controversy, however, emerged over the exclusion of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State who is chairman of the PDP Governors Forum from the delegation that is expected to meet the President in London today.
Letter to Conde
In the letter dated July 24, 2017, President Buhari, who had earlier made a phone call to Conde, who is also the current Chairman of the Assemblies of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, stated: “I thank you for your kind and thoughtful action in organising nationwide prayers for my good health. It is a gesture that I will forever cherish and treasure.
“Your Excellency will be pleased to hear that I am making good progress, and as soon as doctors advise, I shall return to my duties and continue serving the Nigerian people who elected me and are daily praying for my recovery.”
In an earlier letter, President Buhari had also accepted his nomination as leader of the “2018 AU Theme on the Fight Against Corruption”, which came from African leaders at the 29th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 4, 2017.
“While thanking you for the kind words and for the nomination,” the President wrote to Conde, “I wish to express my readiness to accept this new important role and to reiterate my commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent.
I, therefore, look forward to working closely with you in the realization of this objective.”
Excerpts of the letters were made available, yesterday afternoon, via a statement by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity.
Yari leads govs to visit Buhari
Meanwhile, the governors’ delegation, led by the Chairman of Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari, has Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Umar Gandoje of Kano State, Kassim Shettima of Borno State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State as members.
Meantime, the Presidency has said that it was only Buhari’s doctors that could determine when he would return to Nigeria. The President has been out of the country since May 7, treating a yet-to-be announced ailment.
Briefing State House correspondents on the visit of the seven governors, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adeshina said the Presidency had no hand in the selection of the delegates to London.
Adeshina made the clarification while fielding questions on why Governor Fayose who is the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum was not included in the delegation.
“The selection was by the Governors Forum, and you will see that the delegation is headed by Governor Yari who is chairman of that forum. So that question should go to the forum.”
He explained that unlike the previous visit to the President made by only members of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, governors, this delegation was on a broader platform, the NGF, with membership also drawn from the opposition.
Adesina, however, informed that he did not have information on who was sponsoring the trip.
‘Why President opts for visits’
On why the president preferred visits and letters to the option of broadcasting to Nigerians, he said, “It is a question of what he prefers, and this is what he prefers for now. He would rather receive that delegation, and that is what is happening. If the president opts for address option, he will do it.”
He further explained the reason for the visit against the backdrop that it had been reported that President Buhari was recuperating. He said it was the best time for the President to receive visitors as he was recovering.
“Instead of being curious, it should be the right time for the visit. When somebody has recovered, or something has happened, it’s in our culture to visit such a person. So, this is the right time to visit the president because the news is that he is recovering and recovering well.”
The presidential aide was unable to confirm the two-week date given by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State for the return of the president.
Okorocha, who was part of the All Progressives Congress, APC, delegation that visited the president, last Sunday, had assured that the president could return to Nigeria within two weeks.
However, Adesina insisted that only the president’s doctors could determine his exact date of return.
“If anybody is giving a timeline, that person might have information that we don’t have yet.
“But the information at our disposal is that the President will return as soon as his doctors give him the go ahead.”
‘It’s a goodwill visit’
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, giving more details on the visit, said: “The visit is a goodwill visit, and there is nothing more than that. I believe Nigerians in various positions have yearned to meet the President and at some point, this obviously has not been permitted.
“As a cultural people, we visit people leaving hospital, and I’m sure the president himself will be delighted to see people coming from six geo-political zones, coming to convey the goodwill of Nigerians.”
On the absence of a presidential media aide on the London trip, he said it might be a way for the government to save money.
He said: “Well, how about you thinking about it this way? Probably, we will be saving money.
“Let me tell you, you know I have respect for photographers, we all do and the cameraman, Bayo Omoboriwo (Personal Photographer to the President), is on the flight which is more important than me being there, which he is.
“They say a picture conveys more than a thousand words. Bayo will be there, and I think it will be more beneficial to Nigerians than if the Special Adviser was on that trip without a cameraman.”
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