President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks the capacity to hold its national convention on March 26, saying the party will surprise its critics.
The president had this to say when answering questions from House of Representatives correspondents shortly before he left the presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for London on Sunday.
The president had initially planned to embark on the trip to London from Nairobi, Kenya, after attending the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) at 50 in that country on Friday.
The president said: “Well, they (critics) should wait and see. How did we as a party come to take power from the ruling party that was there before us for so many years?
“So, we have the capacity, everything will be fine.”
On the trip to London, Mr. Buhari said that his absence from the country would not affect the functioning of the government as the Vice President, who would be assisted by the Federation Government Secretary, as well as his Chief of Staff, would be in charge.
“Well, I can’t claim that I’m doing the job alone. The government is fully represented: the vice president is there, constitutionally when I am not, he is in charge; And the Secretary of Government and then the Chief of Staff. So there’s no problem.”
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The president’s spokeswoman, Femi Adesina, had said in a statement on March 1 that the president’s trip to London for routine medical checks “would last a maximum of two weeks.”
This newspaper had previously reported that the president left for London on Sunday for a medical check-up after returning from a trip to Kenya.
Mr. Buhari has been going to the UK for medical treatment since 2015, when he took power as the democratically elected president on the APC platform.