By Suleiman Umaru
The demise of former President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, July 14, 2025, at the age of 82, in a London clinic in Britain, United Kingdom, UK, over an undisclosed sickness appears to be a big blow to the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, which had already picked incumbent President Bola Tinubu to re-election for the upcoming 2027, Presidential elections.
President Tinubu and other political heavy weights in the APC, who had expected to use his large than size political image in the north to sway the Hausa /Fulani votes in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano and Jigawa, in favour of the APC, may have been disappointed.
The likes of Nasr El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna state and political ally of late President Buhari, who was appointed to oversee the ministry of minister of Environment by Tinubu but had turned it down may have had the privileged information that ex-President Buhari’s sickness was very serious that his survival was in the hands of God that he had teamed up with other aggrieved politicians who are not happy over the turn of events in the country in the APC and the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, including the Labour Paty, LP, and other parties to float the All Democratic Alliance , ADA, now seeking registration as a Political Party from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under the close watch of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to contest the 2027, general election.
President Tinubu and his arch political ally, Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, NSA, who have seen it as a challenge that they were said to have resorted to plan B, to frustrate the new political alliance. El-Rufai, the immediate past Kaduna state governor had accused the NSA, whom he had said is nursing Presidential ambition by 2031 of doing everything within their powers to destroy the opposition to ensure that Nigeria become a one-party state, controlled by the APC.
There are indications that that leadership of the ruling APC, which many believes are working closely with INEC, had penetrated the ranks of the Opposition political parties and are using the aggrieved party members to cause disaffection in the new political alliance. This may have informed why some of the aggrieved politicians who had earlier supported the ADA, were said to pulled out to float their own party and now seeking registration to contest the 2027, general elections.
Only recently, Prof. Yakubu, the INEC, Chairman, had released a list of 122 associations seeking registration as political parties. Political analysts are of of the believe that If It is possible for Prof. Yakubu led INEC, not to register ADA, championed by former VP Atiku Abubakar of the Opposition, PDP, Peter Obi, a former Presidential Candidate of the LP, in the last2023 general elections and el-rufai, who has fallen apart with President Tinubu, the INEC, boss, he will do it to ensure that President Tinubu will not have any formidable opposition in the forthcoming 2027 elections.
Bayo Onanuga, Media Aide to deceased President Buhari, may have given Nigerians a food for thought when he admitted that the late ex-President, who ruled Nigeria, for eight years but battling an undisclosed sickness would have died long ago.
He has his reason. Given an insider information based on what he knew about his health condition for the eight years in office, he has admitted that if the late Nigerian Leader was dependent on Nigeria’s healthcare system to discontinue his medical treatment in a London clinic throughout his eight years in office, he would have died.
According to him, Nigerian medical personnel do not have the expertise to treat the ailment which he had been battling even before his electoral victory over former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 elections and re-election in 2019.
He had alluded to the fact that the late Nigerian President even when he was not in office, he had his medical treatment abroad, which a source had confirmed but noted that it was only known to immediated family members and close associates. The late President Buhari media Aide stopped short at saying that the issue of the health of the Katsina state born Nigerian Leader became a public knowledge because of the office of the President which he occupies, and thus carrying the weight of the country’s economic and political problems on his shoulders, which many believe was too much form him handle.
There are indications that the late President Buhari, had spent 230 days shutling between Nigeria and UK, for medical services at the 93-year-old London clinic, used by political heavy weights, both within and outside the country ,, royal figures, including past and present family members of the UK Monarchy and Clement Attlee one-time UK Prime minister while ruling Nigeria.
It would be recalled that in 2016, barely one year in office as the country’s President, he had jetted out to London for medical reasons and again in June of the same year, he was said to have visited the London clinic for ear infection.
He had travelled again to UK in 2017, spending 50 days. The visit to the London clinic which took him 50 days was said to have been quickly followed by another visit which him 104 days before returning to face Nigerian’s governance. Note that the late Nigerian President had visited the London clinic in May of 2018, March of 2021, March and October of 2022, periodically for routine check-ups to keep him fit in office.
The London clinic, The Value News online Magazine was informed by a Nigerian resident in Scotland could boasts of specialties in critical procedures such as oncology and hematology, orthopedics including spinal surgery, gastroenterology, general surgery, ophthalmology, ENT, neurosurgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery and intensive care. The clinic was said to have seven major theatres and six dedicated wards for surgery operations in thoracic surgery, spinal, urology, gynecology and orthopedics.
Many believes that the clinics record of treating high profile patients over the years may have informed why late President Buhari, who did not want to take chances on his health concerns had made the clinic a place for his health needs and also died in the clinic.
Some of the royal figures who had visited the expensive London clinic include former Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip husband to late Queen Elizabeth and the late Queen’s younger sister Princess Margret. At present, King Charles III also receives medical services at the same clinic, meant for the upper echelon of the UK society.
The London clinic, which medical experts had said is largest independent Hospital, across the UK and other parts of Europe is believed to have the professional expertise of treating 95,000 patient cases annually.
Late President Buhari’s body which was draped in the Nigerian Flag was was flown down to the country in a Nigerian Air Force aircraft and then brought down by officials of the Nigerian military at the Musa Umaru Yar’adua airport where President Tinubu, accompanied by other top government officials and other Nigerian signatories including Aliko Dangote, a multi-billionaire business mogul were on ground to receive the body and depart for Daura, his home town for burial based on Islamic rites.
Although, ex-President Buhari is dead and Buried, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the first Nigerian military President , who had described him as being ”too rigid” when he overthrew him in a Coup de tat in 1985, and who was said to have paid him last last rest had said that he received ”the news of the ex-President’s death with a heavy heart”. The former Nigerian military President appears to have changed his impression about as he had desribed him” as a brother, friend and true patriot whose life was defined by unwavering commitment to the nation”.
He was said to have further described him as being” principled, fiercely loyal to Nigeria” , and also has deep values of discipline , sacrifice and nation-building”. According to him”the loss ex-President is the loss of the symbol, a man whose life embodied the transition of Nigeria from the old guard to the new Republic”.
Abdulsalami Abubakar, an Army Gen. rtd, and a former Head of State who was in the same London clinic with ex-President Buhari before being discharged had confirmed that when he heard of the demise of the ex-Nigerian Leader he quickly moved to the Ward to condole the family and to start the process for proper arrangement to be made for the body to flown back to Nigeria for burial.
Appearing on Channels Television a day after the passing of the ex-Nigeria Leader, he had described him as a Leader that can be ”trusted with anything without betrayal”.
Medical experts on their own part believes that there is nothing too special about the London clinic as the Late Nigerian President had spent over N21 billion on the President wing of the State House medical center in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to international standard to treat all types of ailments believing Presidents, VPs, and political VIPs and their family members would patronize it instead of travelling abroad for medical check-ups and wasting millions of the country’s scarce foreign exchange reserves. The reverse is the case. Nigerian President, VP, or political VIPs, both past and present are patronizing the state House clinic for routine check-ups as they prefer travelling abroad.
Preparatory to receiving the late President Buhari and his political ally’s body in Nigeria, who died of an undisclosed sickness, despite the news making the rounds that he died of blood cancer, President has directed VP Kashim Shettima, and Femi Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker , House of Representatives and now, Chief of Staff tothe President to proceed to UK, to join Hajia Aisha Buhari, the wife of the demised ex-President , to bring the body of the ex-President the back to Nigeria..
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, President Tinubu had shelved all official engagements at the Presidential Villa to receive the remains of the late Nigerian President had arrived at the Musa Yar’adua international airport, Katsina.
The Nigerian President was said to have been accompanied to the Musa Umaru Ya’adua airport by VP Shettima, President Umau Sissoco Embalo of Guinea- Bissau, Ali Lamine Zeine, Prime minister of Niger, as Gen Abdulrahmane Tchiani, the country’s Head of State and one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Sahel States, AES, could not make it because of the strained relationship with President Tinubu, as Chairman of ECOWA, and Issofou Mahmadou, former President of Niger and including VP .Yemi Osibanjo during late President Buhari’s Administration to open the Casket of the Late Nigerian President which waas in the foot of the aircraft.
After the traditional guard of honour that was said to have been mounted by the military before the NAF, plane carrying the remains of the late Nigerian President land and inspected by President Tinubu, the body of the ex-President was taken to to Daura, his home town for burial, amidst large turnout of dignatories from Nigeria, Niger, Asian country of China and Saudi Arabia.
