Ortom: If Buhari is sick, so is every Nigerian

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s sickness means that all Nigerians are sick.

He said this on Thursday while speaking to state house correspondents on the outcome of the recent visit of some governors to Buhari in the UK.

While stating that the president was mentally alert throughout the period of his meeting with the governors, Ortom added that they advised him not to return until “he is completely healed”.

“I was the first person that initiated prayers and I shouted halleluyah when I saw him because God has answered my prayers,” he said.

“I urge both Christians and Muslims to pray for Mr. President because that is our duty.

“There is no power without God’s ordination. So those of us who are subjects should continue to pray. We should not be castigating Mr. President or wishing him evil.

“We should be praying for him. If Mr. President is sick, it means all of us are sick; the whole country is sick. It is our responsibility to pray that Mr. President get well so that our country too will be well.

“Mr. President is doing well. When we saw him, he was not in a wheelchair, he was not bedridden. He greeted us, we cracked jokes and he was mentally alert. We discussed about the security situation in the country and he asked us questions about what we are doing.

“Our prayer is that God will consummate his healing. We asked him not to hurry because there is no vacuum. The Acting President is holding forth for him and he is doing very well. By the grace of God, I believe that very soon, he will be with us.”

Aisha, wife of the president, returned to the country on Thursday after travelling to see her husband on July 2.

The president has been away since May 7 when he departed Nigeria for a medical follow-up in the UK.