IMO State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Thursday replied Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, over his remarks on President Muhammadu Buhari’s health. Fayose had claimed that President Buhari has been on life support in a British hospital for about three weeks. He also called for the resignation of the President over his health issues.

Okorocha said: “As you are aware we are passing through a very difficult time in our nation and we have a lot of challenges – political, economical, social, cultural and what have you. I want to advise that this is what many great nations of the world have passed through before getting to their point of greatness and Nigeria will not be an exemption.

“We must see this time as a trying period for Nigeria and by the grace of God we shall overcome. So this is the time to preach love, this is the time to love one another, this is the time to embrace one another, this is the time to preach peace especially in more of the things that unite us as a people and talk not at all the things that will divide us.

“And this called to question the recent statement created to Governor Fayose over the health of Mr. President. I want to advise that Fayose statement should not be regarded, is baseless and there is no substance in that information. What he said is not right, it is uncalled for and that is simply heating up the polity.

“In our culture and tradition we do not pray politics with peoples’ lives and anybody can be sick, anybody can be in the hospital and so making such categorical statement which is unfounded that Mr. President is on life support, is to the best of my knowledge a statement of hate. That is a cheap talk and Nigerians should not regard it. What we should do right now is to pray for Mr. President, wish him well, anybody can be sick. Even as he is sick out there many people have been sick in Nigeria, so we should not politicize this and play politics with people’s lives and try to create hate and confusion in the system.

“I think that has become Fasoye’s style of talk and Nigerians must never take those kind of talk serious because it is capable of creating confusion in the system. Moreover, the country is stable and the Acting President is doing a beautiful job, is meeting up the daily duties of Mr. President. There is no vacuum and so there is no cause for alarm. We must at this point give every support to Mr. President and we are hoping that very soon Mr. President will come back and join us. So that statement is a call for concern.

“I do not know if he is speaking from the point of view of being the chairman of the PDP governors’ forum or he is speaking as a person or as a governor. I do not understand but whatever it is, people must disregard this statement. We are not in campaign any more. President Muhammadu Buhari suffered a lot of campaign when he was running for President. First his health should be left only for God to decide, it is not for man to decide his fate. President Buhari came into power under and unusual circumstances to defeat an incumbent president which is very uncommon in our checkered political history but he did so and I believe that is not the making of any man but the making of God.

“So I believe his health is in the hands of God and nobody should play politics with it. This is my advice to Nigerians, let us focus on majors issues that concerns us as a nation.” – The Nation

—  Jun 29, 2017 @ 18:45 GMT