Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has raised fresh concerns about President Bola Tinubu’s health following his appearance at a political rally in Kaduna.
The activist alleged that the Nigerian leader may have suffered a stroke.
Sowore made the allegation in a post on X while reacting to a video of Tinubu at the Kaduna rally on Saturday.
He questioned the president’s physical condition and alleged that information about his health might be concealed from Nigerians.
According to the activist, Tinubu’s appearance at the rally had heightened his concerns about the president’s well-being, which he said began when the Nigerian leader travelled to France and did not return as expected.
“The Nigerian political class is of the worst variety when it comes to their ability to deceive themselves and Nigerians,” Sowore wrote.
“Tinubu @officialABAT appears to be very sick, as I stated when he travelled to France and could not return on time.”
“I suspect this man may have suffered a stroke and that they are covering it up, but his appearance in this video from Kaduna rally yesterday is troubling about his health,” he added.
“These politicians are sick! Sick people!” he wrote.
The allegation comes amid continuing public discussion about Tinubu’s health following his recent overseas trip and return to Nigeria.
Tinubu returned to Lagos on September 29 after spending about four weeks in the United Kingdom and France. His absence had generated questions from opposition figures and political commentators, particularly concerning the length of his trip and whether the appropriate constitutional procedures had been followed during his absence.
The president had left Nigeria on August 30 for what his handlers described as a working vacation. His return did not end speculation about his health, with critics continuing to question his physical condition and the frequency of his international trips.
However, Tinubu has dismissed concerns about his health, insisting that he remains fit to perform his presidential duties.
Speaking to journalists after returning to Lagos, the president said he was ready to resume work and described reports questioning his health as politically motivated rumours.
“I’m ready to kick, ready to work. There is nothing wrong,” Tinubu said.
He added, “Well, rumours will always be emanating from politics, but the fact remains I’m here, healthy and sound, and ready to go.”
The president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has also dismissed speculation about Tinubu’s alleged ill health, describing the claims as entirely false.
Concerns about the health of Nigerian presidents have featured in the country’s political history, particularly during the administrations of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
Yar’Adua’s prolonged absence from Nigeria for medical treatment in 2009 triggered a constitutional crisis over the transfer of presidential powers to the vice-president. He died in office in May 2010.
Buhari also faced public scrutiny over his health after spending extended periods in the United Kingdom for medical treatment during his presidency.
Against this background, questions about Tinubu’s health have attracted renewed attention as political parties and their candidates prepare for the 2027 presidential election.
