Outrage on social media over Fayose’s ‘Buhari may die in office’ newspaper advertorial

It is not the first time that Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, has questioned Muhammadu Buhari’s health status.

On Thursday, he alleged that Buhari had health problems and implied that he could die in office if elected. He also accused his number one enemy, Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, of plotting to plunge the country into the same constitutional crisis that followed late President umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s ill-health and subsequent death.

“In the north, there are so many qualified, brilliant and credible people who can rule the country well,” Fayose had said.

“Why is Obasanjo going after an old horse that may collapse mid-way? Nigerians should know the state of health of Buhari. His age and health cannot stand the rigours of the office. Nigerians deserve to know the health status of Buhari.

“Nigerians should be wary of Obasanjo’s banana peel. He was the one who put forward Umar Yar ‘Adua as the president knowing the man’s state of health and the man died in office. Obasanjo is now presenting General Muhammadu Buhari as the best candidate for Nigeria knowing the man’s age and that the pressure of office would be too much for him.”

It took Fayose only two days to bolster his earlier argument with fresh, hard-hitting claims. This time, he pointed accusing fingers at Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying his real plan was to become president through Yemi Osinbajo’s resignation and Buhari’s death.

“God forbid, if APC wins, Tinubu’s agenda is to first get the APC presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to resign within six months for him (Tinubu) to take over as vice-president, hoping that the task of governing the country will overwhelm Buhari and aggravate his sickness, thereby paving way for Tinubu to take over as president,” Fayose said on Saturday.

“The question to ask Tinubu and his cohorts in the APC is simple: if Tinubu’s godson, Governor Babatunde Fashola, is saying that 57 year old Jimi Agbaje is too old to rule Lagos state, how then can they present a 78-year-old Buhari to be president of the whole country? “The answer is also simple, they want a president that would die in office so that they can take over Nigeria.”

On Monday, February 19, he went one notch higher. In an advert published on the front pages of two prominent Nigerian dailies –The Punch and Daily Sun – Fayose lists former Nigerian leaders who died in office and suggests that Muhammadu Buhari could go the same way.

“Nigerians, be warned!” the advert begins.

“Nigeria… I have set before thee LIFE and DEATH. Therefore, choose LIFE that both thee and thy seed may LIVE (Deut 30 vs 19).”

The advert then displays photos of Murtala Mohammed, Sani Abacha, Umaru Yar’Adua, all late presidents/military rulers from the north-west who died while in office. A fourth photo, of Buhari, follows – with his age (72) and a question mark, presumably on whether or not he would also die in office.

“Will you allow history repeat itself? Enough of state burial,” the advert goes on.

“Nigerians, vote wisely. Vote Goodluck Jonathan. Northern presidency should wait till 2019.”

Many social media commentators were displeased with the advert; and after Fayose tweeted it, they expressed disgust, some in the kind of hate words TheCable will never publish.

Fayose won his elections by spreading falsehoods/propaganda. He believes same will guarantee victory for his team.

Advertisement

— Akingbola Akinyinka (@iakinyinka) January 19, 2015

@GMBVolunteers Ayo Fayose should be arrested for this publication. Its inciting and not acceptable. Its an Insult to our departed leaders.

— Adams babatunde (@Adamsbabatundey) January 19, 2015

Advertisement

Fayose knows what he's doing. That was a deliberate attempt at inciting pre-election violence, but we must not take the bait.

— Akin (@AO1379) January 19, 2015

How the PDP & GEJ decides to handle this would tell a lot about them, & that's not by just a passing condemnation pic.twitter.com/34iuuAhJeT

— Dalhat. MD (@dsalahu) January 19, 2015

Unbelievable! This is very bad…for GEJ, because it makes life easy for many undecided voters. pic.twitter.com/IIAJg8LUie

— Zainab Usman (@MssZeeUsman) January 19, 2015

It is irresponsible for a sitting Governor to sponsor this kind of message on behalf of any party in #Nigeria2015 pic.twitter.com/uU6q8dRkKY

— RightsAfrica (@chairmanNHRC) January 19, 2015