International media group, The Economist, has joined the reactions trailing the video of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, working out to prove that he is fit for the 2023 general elections.
The Africa editor of The Economist, Jonathan Rosenthal, described Tinubu’s effort as unfortunate, adding that it was not a good sign for the ruling party’s campaign.
The former Lagos State Governor had put out the video to debunk the alleged report that he had withdrawn from the presidential race due to his failing health.
In the video, the APC chieftain was working on a spin bike to dispel the rumours surrounding his health and well-being.
He had captioned it; “Many have said I have died; others claim I have withdrawn from the presidential campaign. Well… Nope. This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy and I am READY to serve Nigerians from Day One.”
Reaction have since trailed the report with most Nigerian Twitter users reminding Nigerians the infamous Musa Yar’Adua, the former president of Nigeria who died on May 5, 2010 while in office.
But also, reacting to the trending video, Rosenthal said it was never a good sign when a presidential candidate felt the need to prove he was still alive.
He wrote, “Oh dear, it is never a good sign in a presidential campaign when a candidate feels the need to prove he is still alive. #NigeriaDecides2023.”
SaharaReporters reported that Tinubu left Nigeria for London, United Kingdom, two weeks ago to see his doctors.
Tinubu was absent at an event held last Thursday in Abuja for presidential candidates to sign a peace pact. He was represented at the event by his running mate, Kashim Shettima.
Meanwhile, in 2021 alone, Tinubu spent over 80 days patronising hospitals in France, the United States and the UK where he underwent surgeries amid the poorly equipped hospitals in Nigeria led by the APC government.
He was flown out of the country some days before Christmas in 2020 to Paris, France.