Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted the position of the Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari was hale and hearty, describing it as “tales by moonlight.” The group charged the Presidency to come clear with the real truth as the whole saga is causing apprehension among Nigerians.

MURIC in a statement by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said it was high time the truth was revealed.

The statement said the continued absence of Nigeria’s No. 1 citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari, was causing apprehension in the country.

“It has also given room for speculations about the condition of his heath. MURIC rejects the Federal Government’s grandstanding on the issue. We equally denounce the diabolical speculations and death wishes flying around the length and breadth of the country. It is all much ado about nothing. It is an act of bad faith.

“We refuse to accept the Federal Government’s claim that the president is hale and hearty. That sounds more like tales by moonlight. Neither shall we give credit to advocatus diaboli who wish him dead or enemies of peace who claim that Buhari had died.

“The truth is that if Buhari dies today, his name will be written in letters of gold. It is the death of a hero primus inter pareil and the death of a reformer nulli secundus. Buhari is a dogged corruption fighter who came to rescue Nigerians from yam thieves. If he dies today he will leave an indelible record, an achievement difficult to match by his successor and a standard that is bound to create a yawning lacuna.

“What should Nigerians do in the present circumstance? Nigerians need to relax on this whole issue. We also need to widen our horizon of knowledge. We need to know that what is happening to Buhari now has happened to many leaders in other countries before and it did not lead to any crisis. Buhari handed over properly and constitutionally before leaving the country and the Acting president is doing well. So there is no cause for alarm.

“Nigerians also need to show sympathy and understanding as their president battles with a poor health condition. They should not allow people whose hearts are filled with hate to brainwash and indoctrinate them.

“For the avoidance of doubts, we declare that MURIC stands with Buhari not because he is a Muslim. Abacha was a Muslim yet we rose in rebellion against him for the actualization of June 12. Babangida is a Muslim but we mobilized activists against him to debilitate military dictatorship. Obasanjo is a Christian yet we supported his war against corruption. The records are there for all to see.

“By extension, we are today supporting the Osinbajo presidency even though he is not a Muslim as long as he keeps up the pressure on looters and remains incorruptible like his boss. The issue should be good governance, not religion, not ethnicity.

“MURIC stands with Buhari because he is rescuing poor Nigerians from the claws of a tiny cabal which has unjustly enriched itself from the sweat of the poor masses. This is the same tiny cabal which sentenced Nigerians to an epileptic power supply, sudden and painful deaths due to bad roads and poor public heath system, all occasioned by reckless corruption.

“The same cabal subjected millions of Nigerians to a life of ignorance and illiteracy due to corruption-driven neglect of the education sector. Millions of Nigerians are starving today because the same cabal has arrogated our common wealth to itself. So why should any sensible Nigerian join this heartless class of people when the only man who had the liver to challenge them has a health problem?

“To round up, we regard those who are comparing Osinbajo’s performance to that of Buhari as sheer idle gossipers and professional rumour mongers. Buhari knew the stuff Osinbajo was made of and that was why he picked him as his running mate in the first place. The presidency is a joint ticket and we wonder why anybody should be interested in disparaging and unreasonable comparisons. In any case, could there have been an Osinbajo without a Buhari?”