Atiku Abubakar critically sick and has been flown to London for medical attention.
NewsOnline reports that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is sick and has been flown to London, United Kingdom for treatment.
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Atiku was flown from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to the UK, SaharaReporters reports on Sunday.
This comes less than two months before the presidential election which is scheduled to hold on February 25, 2023.
“Atiku is not feeling fine; he is in the hospital receiving treatment,” a PDP Presidential Campaign Council source told SaharaReporters on Sunday.
“That’s why he is not back in Nigeria for the presidential campaign. He was in Dubai but has now left Dubai for London for treatment. He has been flown to the UK for treatment. That is why he is still abroad.”
However, the nature of Atiku’s ailment couldn’t be confirmed.
Last year, Atiku also visited Europe and at the conclusion of his European trip, the PDP presidential candidate visited Dubai.
The trip came about three weeks after Atiku met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike in London.
A statement issued by Paul Ibe, his media adviser said the trip was a continuation of an earlier business trip made three weeks earlier.
“He will be travelling immediately after his meeting on Friday in Lagos, with the leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) alongside the PDP vice presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta,” the statement reads.
“Today’s trip is in continuation of an earlier business trip of three weeks ago.
“At the conclusion of his European trip, the former Vice President will also use the opportunity to visit his family in Dubai.
“His trip is for business and family purposes and has nothing to do with medicals as being insinuated in some quarters.”
Atiku is known for spending most of his time in Dubai. For instance, he left for Dubai after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the 2019 presidential election.
The PDP presidential candidate was absent at the pre-Atiku Freedom March press conference held for him at the state Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Iyaganku, Ibadan, last Tuesday.
The press briefing was jointly addressed by a former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (State), Jumoke Akinjide; former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Wole Oyelese; former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, and another PDP chieftain, Engineer Femi Babalola.
The Freedom March was held last Wednesday in Ibadan, the state capital.
In July 2022, Atiku reacted to a viral social media video suggesting he was ill, saying that he was in good health.
A viral video showed Atiku limping during his return to Nigeria ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
But his media aide, Ibe, dismissed claims, saying nothing was further from the truth.
A statement issued by Ibe read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to a report and a video in a section of the media purporting to be of an “ailing” Atiku Abubakar being helped strapped to his car seatbelt by an aide.”
“Nothing can be further from the truth. For the records, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in robust good health.”
“We would not ordinarily have responded to this mischief, but for the impression that it will create in the minds of Nigerians, which is exactly the objective of the purveyors of this fake news.
“We wish to state that Atiku is not averse to scrutiny because of the consequential nature of the 2023 elections. However, it is our position that such scrutiny must not be predicated on slash-and-burn rogue journalism as is the case with this contrived report.”
