Nigeria: After Buhari…?

With president Buhari on medical leave again, ambitious figures are positioning themselves favourably for what might happen next.

Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS|  Secrecy creates suspicion. In the cutthroat arena of Nigerian politics, it can also reveal ambition. The ongoing silence around of the health of Nigeria’s president has done just this.

For several weeks, Muhammadu Buhari has barely been seen in public. And on 7 May, he sought medical treatment in London, where he previously spent nearly two months from mid-January to March for the same reasons. Now as then, the lack of information about his diagnosis has led to great uncertainty and speculation back in Nigeria.

On leaving, Buhari handed over the reins to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. But unlike in previous instances when the vice-president stepped into the constitutionally-mandated role of Acting President, Osinbajo is now only “Coordinator of National Affairs”. According to Sola Tayo, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, this reduced position may be indicative of the “reluctance of the president to totally relinquish power during his absence”.

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With #Buhari on medical leave again, ambitious figures are positioning themselves for what might come next #Nigeria https://t.co/GXJ99AQ1KF

— African Arguments (@africaarguments) May 17, 2017