The campaign for the February 2023 presidential election in Nigeria began barely ten days ago, but questions are already flying about the state of health of the ruling party candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, absent from the country.
The opposition sees this as proof of the failing health of Tinubu, nicknamed “
the godfather of Lagos
” for his immense political influence.
Tinubu is considered one of the big favorites in the presidential election scheduled for February 25.
His party, the APC, brushed off the rumors saying he was in top form.
Read alsoNigeria: the opposition wins a test election before the presidential election
The health of presidential candidates is a sensitive issue in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
During his first term, current President Muhammadu Buhari spent many months in London, where he was treated for an illness that has never been disclosed.
In 2010, President Umaru Yar'Adua died while in office after a long illness.
The presidential race promises to be tight with two other candidates also targeting the place of Mr. Buhari, who is stepping down at the end of his second term as provided for in the Constitution.
Mr Tinubu's absence last week as he signed a symbolic peace accord with other candidates did not go unnoticed, reigniting long-running rumors about his health.
Rumors about the health of the ruling party candidate
The 70-year-old candidate sought to reassure Nigerians on Sunday, posting a video of him in a tracksuit riding an exercise bike to Afrobeats music on social media.
“
Many say that I am dead, others that I am retiring from the presidential campaign.
Well no (...) here is the reality: I am strong and I am healthy
, ”he wrote as a caption.
On the main television channels, the leaders of the ruling party have succeeded in denying the rumors about his poor state of health.
"
He is in good health (...) Our man needed a few days abroad, because the pressure on him is a little too much
," said APC campaign chief Ayo Oyalowo on Television Channels.
The APC has yet to officially launch its campaign, and the program is being finalized, said another campaign manager David Umahi.
“
How many months do we have before the election, and to campaign?
The first to start is not necessarily the one who finishes first
, ”launched this governor of the state of Ebonyi on the Arise channel.
“
There is no reason to worry
,” he hammered.
But his absence in the first days of the campaign goes badly with part of public opinion, which underlines that the next president will have to meet immense challenges, Nigeria going through a serious economic crisis and being in the grip of insecurity. widespread.
On Twitter, the hashtag #WhereisTinubu (Where is Tinubu) was widely shared this week.
The formula echoes the hashtag, #WhereisBuhari widely shared in 2017 by Nigerian internet users when the head of state disappeared for many months in London to receive treatment there.
“
The longer Tinubu is absent, the more this becomes an important issue in this campaign
,” Nigerian academic Chidi Odinkalu told AFP.
"
Tinubud's health problems - episodes of tremors observed since at least 2015 suggest that he suffers from neurodegenerative disorders - will be a significant weakness for his camp
", writes the consulting firm Eurasia Group in a note published at the end of September.
70% of the population is under 30
The campaign of Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the main opposition PDP party, will "
aggressively exploit this weakness and seek to portray Tinubu as a frail old man on the verge of a major health problem
", according to Eurasia.
Himself aged 75, Mr. Abubakar is running for the highest office for the fifth time.
This former vice-president is counting on his experience as head of state and as a businessman to “
save
” Nigeria, he says.
This week he posted a video of himself dancing, meant to show off his vitality.
In a country where 70% of the population is under 30, Mr Abubakar and Mr Tinubu are seen by some young Nigerians as old-guard politicians who offer little new, analysts say.
This could pave the way for Labor's Peter Obi, 61, to challenge the long dominance of the APC and PDP.
The PDP was in power from the return of democracy in 1999 after decades of military dictatorships, until it was ousted by the APC in 2015.
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