Buhari is recovering fast, will return soon - Acting President Osinbajo

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is recuperating fast and will return home shortly, his deputy Yemi Osinbajo said on Wednesday after visiting the head of state in London where he has been on prolonged sick leave.

Osinbajo’s brief and unannounced trip has revived speculation about Buhari’s health and whether he will be able to stand for re-election in 2019. The details of his illness have not been made public.

“He is in very high spirits, he is recuperating very quickly and we had a very long conversation. We spoke for well over an hour. His humour is all there. He is doing well,” said Osinbajo who is acting president.

“We discussed wide-ranging issues. I can’t go into specifics,” he said in his first public comments after returning to Abuja on Wednesday morning. Osinbajo then chaired a weekly cabinet meeting.

When Buhari, 74, left Abuja for London on May 7, his second trip abroad for health reasons, he handed over power to Osinbajo, who according to the constitution would assume the presidency should Buhari be unable to continue.

Osinbajo is already being talked about in the capital as a potential nominee for the 2019 presidential election.

Reuters