Review: After Ganduje, who will President Buhari call next? (See video)

The unending drama over President Buhari’s health status continued on Wednesday with claims that the ailing president spoke with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.

Obviously elated, Ganduje is seen in a video joyously relaying to a motley crowd what he said was the president’s response to his inquiries. The event was a prayer session organized by the State with claims that it had over 300 Imams and Islamic scholars in attendance.

In a well syndicated report which appeared almost verbatim in most news platforms, President Buhari is reported to have expressed deep appreciation to his countrymen for their prayers and support.

The Kano State government press release further recorded Buhari as saying that his health condition was improving. It said that the president spoke in vernacular for about three minutes during a live broadcast transmitted on local radio stations in Kano.

“Alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah)”, Buhari reportedly intoned when Ganduje inquired, “how are you feeling now Your Excellency?
Told by Ganduje that Kano Imams and scholars had gathered in Kano to pray for his speedy recovery, the ailing president was quoted to have said, ” “Maa shaa Allah”, meaning, “God willed it.”

The Wednesday conversations, rather than soothe worries over Buhari’s health condition appear to have stoked it even further. The attendant drama, carefully gleaned from the video, simply puts a lie to whatever claims emanating from the presidency.

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The President is, indeed, not “hale and hearty” as his office would repeatedly have Nigerians believe. Ganduje unwittingly nailed it when he said in the syndicated press statement that, “We prayed for Buhari to win and he won. It is now mandatory on us to rally round his government and pray for his wellbeing.”
The contradictions in claims have become too apparent, leaving a huge gap in the level of goodwill once enjoyed by the president, and by extension, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Making a meal of Buhari’s purported phone calls to various publics is creating a circus show reminiscent of late President Musa Yar’Adua saga. Not even his personal media aides, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, have spoken to him in months! They both admit to relying on ‘second hand’ information in their routine briefings to Nigerians.
From the purported phone calls made to Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogora, US President Donald Trump, and now Abdullahi Ganduje, it would seem that Buhari has been taken hostage, and carefully made to select his audience according to the dictates of certain mood(s).

So, the question on the lips of many is who would President Buhari or his handlers in UK arrange for him to speak with next? And, if there are no hidden intentions, should such telephone calls be accompanied by infantile drama? The intrigues are yet unfolding.

The only thing certain at the moment is that President Buhari cannot return to work, and Nigerians are being asked to live with the fact that he will not return ‘until he is certified fit by doctors.’
The gap has left an interesting poser, “How long should an ailing President or Governor be away from duty before his office is formally declared vacant?”
The dilemma created by this gap is, if not dealt with, the acting President, in this case, Yemi Osinbajo, would be made to exercise ‘double powers’ for an undefined term, a situation not envisaged by the constitution.

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