In the last sixteen years out of the twenty years of our return to democracy in 1999 , Nigerians have been battling with ailing presidents amidst healthy individuals and gift of highly blessed intellectual persons.
Aside President olusegun obasanjo who managed perfectly his diabetic status for many decades while at the corridor of power, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was fit and physically strong , but was not allowed to rule beyond six years due to political exigency, even though he took over from the late President Umar Musa Yar’adua, of blessed memory who was bedridden and died on the throne.
This negative developments has been the trend in the last few years , with Nigeria as a nation nursing leaders with records of medical tourism and lack of political will to resign from office .
For eight consecutive years , former President Muhammadu ruled the country from the hospital due to his intermittent health challenges, that threw the country into many unwanted situations economically, administratively and otherwise.
Having navigated that unhealthy situations for eight years , Nigerians was thrown into another round of medical tourism with the president often jet out of the country surreptitiously for medical tourism and attention.
With obvious physical and health challenges that desired attention, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu having been elected in 2023 insisted on running for re-election in 2027, while leaping almost in all public and political functions.
He openly told Nigerians for the first time in it’s history, why he would not be going round the country to canvass for votes except in twelve states , a situation even Yar’adua did not manifest during his days.
The country Nigeria and Nigerians seems unlucky as indisposed leaders sit tight in office, rather than seeking to attend to their medical situations.
Also other political parties both in the opposition have showed alot of inability to confront leadership when voted into power in 2027, due to their health and physical challenges.
But, for Engr Seyi Makinde, the APM Presidential candidate has introduced another chapter into the county’s policy, having showed alot of physical, emotional, and healthy disposition both in the administrative and political adventures.
In the last seven years, Makinde had not gone on medical trip or vacation before vying to become president of Nigeria.
Since some of the presidential candidates decided to be leaping and sitting down or speaking for few minutes on the podium due to their obvious health challenges, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Makinde decided to jump down from the podium at Akure during the South-West townhall meeting , introducing Jumpology into the political space of Nigeria.
Makinde , a known and successful engineer of high repute since then having been jumping down and climbing up in political and public gatherings, with a promise to step down for Nigeria’s President if he can do so.
During the celebration of the 55th birthday of the National Chairman of Allied People’s Movement, APM, Engr Seyi Makinde also climbed and jumped down severally, an indication of fitness , physical and mental abilities to rule the country.
He also did same during the unveiling of his manifesto at transcorp, by refusing to lean on the podium like others do .
It is obvious that Engr Seyi Makinde did not read Physical and Health Education, PHE in the university, post graduate and other level, but the theory of jumping down and climbing up without supports has opened another political chapter of leadership, that are strong, fit and healthy, so as to move the country forward.
With the new trend of observing a would be healthy leader , no doubt Nigerians should resolve to vote for leaders who are physically healthy, mentally sound, as the next president of Nigeria.
Engr Seyi Makinde of Allied People’s Movement APM is fit ,sound and healthy as he will also put a halt to medical tourism of our leaders in Nigeria.
The APM presidential candidate in one month crisscrossed the length and breadth of Nigeria by visiting the six geopolitical zones unscathed.
It is a cause for a country with millions of healthy people featuring unhealthy ones consecutively.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF, National Publicity Secretary, NPS of APM.
