Opposition Governors To Meet Ailing Nigerian President

Six state governors, including two opposition members, are to meet President Muhammadu Buhari in London on Wednesday, his spokesman said.



The visit follows a similar delegation of governors and chieftains from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the weekend, which resulted in the first image of Buhari since he travelled to the U.K. for medical treatment on May 7.



"The visit is a goodwill visit and there is nothing more than that," spokesman Garba Shehu told a news briefing Tuesday evening, listing four APC and two People's Democratic Party governors.



Buhari's long absence, his second this year, has fuelled rumors that the president is incapacitated and calls for him to step down. It has also raised doubts about his ability to contest a second term in 2019.



Three court cases have been filed to compel parliament to declare Buhari, whose medical condition has not been revealed, unfit to hold office.



Femi Adesina, another presidential spokesman, said the visits showed Buhari, 74, was recuperating but he balked at questions on when he would return to Nigeria.



On Monday, Buhari wrote to Guinean President and African Union Chairman Alpha Conde, thanking him for his support and saying he would return to lead a pan-African anti-corruption drive. -