Date: 2017-01-22

The presidency has maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari is alive and not dead.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to President Buhari, disclosed this via his verified Twitter handle, @GarShehu.

"He is alive and well! President Buhari is not magical. He cannot be holidaying in the UK & be in Germany, dead or alive at the same time," he noted.

"He is unlike a past President who was at Ota, w/ Chief Obj & attending the Trump inauguration in D.C, being in two places at the same time!" Shehu added in a subtle attack on immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Shehu's tweets were aimed at dispelling rumours that President Buhari died in a London hospital on Saturday.

Recall that Buhari on Thursday left Nigeria for the United Kingdom on a ten-day medical vacation.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the leave is part of the president's annual vacation and he (Buhari) is expected to resume work on February 6, 2017.

The presidential spokesman also stated that during the vacation, President Buhari would also undergo routine medical check-ups.

"What is wrong with going on vacation? Didn't I go last year at the same time?", Buhari quizzed while responding to a question from the journalists on his way to London.

The Presidency also said that there is absolutely nothing to worry about over Buhari's medical vacation, adding that, however, a lot of good will and prayers are necessary at all times.

Adesina spoke shortly after the president had told journalists that there was nothing wrong with going on vacation.

Asked if there is anything to worry about, the presidential spokesman responded:

"Nothing absolutely nothing! We need to show good will towards our leaders, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari who is working to give Nigeria a new footing, a new orientation.

"Nothing absolutely to worry about, but a lot of good will, a lot prayers are necessary at all times."

Adesina also said: "The president is going to rest. You know that God did work of creation for six days and on the seventh day he rested. So, if God needed to rest, how much more human being? So, the president is just going to rest and the statement we have released is straight forward. He will go on this leave and during the leave, he will do routine medical checkups."