Buhari: I have cold, not cancer

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, expressed his anger on the desperate attempt by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spread misinformation in the country, “despite the serious issues of corruption in the land”.
Buhari spoke at the Rivers State Governors Lodge, Abuja.
With him were the APC governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, former Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and other party chiefs.
A livid Buhari said it was unfortunate that the ruling PDP has so far concentrated ‘too much energy’ on his state of health and academic certificate, leaving serious state issues unattended to.
He said: “This desperation of misinformation that is being passed around will do nobody any good because our minds are being taken away from the serious issues of corruption and incompetence by the PDP. How they got the impression that I was sick, I do not know although I got cold and that did not stop me from going through my schedule. A national daily reported that I was to jet out for medical check up yesterday but here I am.
“I was at Nasarawa and Benue states yesterday. Tomorrow, I am going to be in two states. The day after tomorrow, in two more states. I am doing two states per day. How they got the impression that I was sick, I do not know although I got cold and that did not stop me from going through my schedule.
“I don’t know of this desperation. The issue we are telling Nigerians is that of corruption in this country for the last 16 years. PDP has literally destroyed this country. This is the issue and what has my health got to do with that one that I have been sick on daily basis? And documents have been put on paper, on tweeter that I am sick and the ABU said they are forged documents. This desperation is beyond my understanding”.
On his involvement in the alleged missing fund in the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Buhari said: “That one has been cleared. There is no fraud in PTF. There was an investigation and General Obasanjo has answered that question. He confirmed that there was an investigation and the report was brought to him and there was nothing on ground as far as my management and chairmanship of the PTF was concerned. So, what else can I say? The person who did the investigation, because he was the Head of State, he has cleared me”.
The former Head of State also declared that since all his certificates were in order, he is qualified to contest for the presidency for the fourth time.
“I had contested three times under the same rules set by INEC. There is a basic education qualification you must have and I was allowed to contest all those elections because my certificate was in order. There were individuals that wrote to the United States War College. The college answered them and it was published by some of your papers”.
The Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Organisation had, on Saturday, described as disdainful, distractive, mischievous, fake and fallacious the news report of an alleged prostate cancer condition of Buhari, being credited to a source from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State.
Malam Garba Shehu, Director, Media and Publicity of the Campaign, said: “It (report of cancer) is untrue and condescending of its exponents. I have it on good authority that GMB has not visited the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in the last five years. So, how can anyone say that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last October, barely three months ago?
“This is the highest point of political distraction, malice and mischief. The report was not only fake but unfounded. I have spoken to impeccable sources at ABUTH all of whom deny the report and also claimed that the letterhead used was not their regular one, and that Dr. Bala Mohammed that purportedly approved the false Medical Report is not on the personnel list of that department”.