2019: Atiku has agreed to a mental health test, Buhari must agree too- CUPP

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Sunday said Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has agreed to a mental health test, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to also do the same.

CUPP also called on all other candidates contesting the 2019 presidential election to subject themselves to such a test.

It said the test should be conducted by an independent team of experts on mental health issues.

The coalition’s demand was contained in a statement by its first national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere.

Ugochinyere said the test was necessary in order to ascertain the presidential candidates’ mental stability before elections, “so that any person who does not pass the examination should not be allowed to participate in the election.”

He said the CUPP had secured the assurances of Atiku, who is contesting the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, to subject himself to the medical test in the general interest of Nigeria.

He urged Buhari to speak more to Nigerians and Nigerian journalists, especially through presidential media chat.

Read also: 2019: SDP leaders continue rejection of Gana’s candidacy, shun his campaign launch

He added, “CUPP also calls on President Buhari to face the Nigerian media and stop holding them in disdain as they are professionals and are renowned world over for their expertise.

“How could a President not speak to any Nigerian media house or journalist for over three years?

“How could a President hold his entire country’s media and citizens in such disdain that he speaks to them only through a crowd of spokespersons?

“Nigerians want to know the identities of the persons that write his speeches, their ideologies and their stake in the Nigerian project because, many a time, the President reads speeches that are not in tune with reality, as he did during the presentation of budget 2019 and was rightly booed by lawmakers.

“This medical examination is very necessary and all Nigerians of goodwill should join this call for the unveiling of the real facts behind this façade presented to Nigerians.”

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