A group has dismissed President Donald Trump’s claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is ‘lifeless’.
The Financial Times reported that the US President allegedly made the statement after the pair met in Washington in April, with Trump stating that, “he does not want to meet anyone like him never again”.
Reacting to the news, Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said President Muhammadu Buhari is fit and capable to run for the 2019 elections and oversee the affairs of the country for four more years.
The group described Trump’s comment as ‘hate speech’.
The group, in a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju (chairman) and Cassidy Maduekwe (secretary), noted that this was not the first time the US President was making derogatory remarks at world leaders, and thus President Buhari would not be distracted by such.
“We are aware that President Trump’s disrespect for World Leaders is not new; his comments on Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him ‘meek and mild’; his reference to Germany’s Leader, Angela Merkel’s actions as ‘insane’, or his outlandish tweet at the UK’s Theresa May, and more recently, the alleged remarks he made after meeting President Buhari.”
“It is indeed not the first time President Trump would be heard to lower the standards of respect for his colleagues on the world stage.
“We are not surprised, we know that this age-long character of the US President would not change anytime soon. But it is important that we put it on record that President Buhari remains fit and sprightly, even for the next decade.” the statement read.
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“We recall that during President Buhari’s visit to Trump in the White House, the US President commended the successes that the Buhari administration had recorded especially in the fight against insurgency and the war on corruption.
“The US President was full of admiration for Nigeria’s President during the visit, thus such outlandish remarks as reported by the Financial Times are not just to be taken with a pinch of salt but are untrue in themselves.”
The group noted that President Buhari has continued to show fitness and capacity to run the country post-2019; it went further to highlight that though the President’s 800 metre walk, where he acknowledged the cheers of members of his constituency, was not intended at showboating, it was an unscripted reference point that further proves a fit and lively President.
The group noted that President Buhari would not be distracted by this report, whether it was indeed said or in fact unsaid, but would in his character continue to remain focused on his mandate to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people.
