Members of the National Assembly have ruled out the possibility of recommending compulsory medical evaluation for future presidential aspirants.
Some Nigerians had urged the federal lawmakers to seize the opportunity of the ongoing constitution review process to insist that all presidential aspirants should undergo medical tests to ascertain their health status before vying for the office.
They made the call against the backdrop of the failing health of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose second round of medical leave to the United Kingdom is 50 days old today.
The late President Umar Yar’Adua also faced similar health challenges spanning several months before he eventually passed away in 2010.
However, the legislators who spoke with Punch on Saturday, argued that such legislation, either by a clear provision in the constitution or an amendment of the Electoral Act 2010, would not guarantee the life of a presidential aspirant.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, when contacted through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, said the clause had not been considered.
He also ruled out the possibility of recommending such in the ongoing exercise.
“That is not included in what has been done so far and I don’t think such will be recommended for now for obvious reasons, especially with what is currently going on in the country,” he said.
Also, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, Mr. Chike Okafor, noted that while a medical evaluation was a “brilliant idea,” it did not guarantee good health or life.
He observed that a presidential aspirant could present a fitness certificate or be certified fit by an approved body before the election, but could die the next moment.
Okafor added, “If at the point of vying for the election, he was certified fit, but he becomes ill soon after taking the oath of office, what happens? Otherwise, the idea is good.”
He added that whether the law made a provision that the medical evaluation should be periodic after assumption of office, it would still be difficult to resolve health issues.
He also suggested that such an evaluation should cover all categories of political office seekers, including “governors, legislators and all other categories.”
When contacted, the Chairman, House Committee on Health Institutions, Mrs. Betty Apiafi, simply said, “The President is not feeling well and it is not an issue for national discourse. We pray for him.”
On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Interior, Mr. Adams Jagaba, opposed a medical evaluation, but advised Nigerians to apply wisdom in making leadership choices.
Jagaba, who is from Kaduna State, said Nigerians must change their focus by picking leaders from among the youths.
The lawmaker argued that old age and ill-health had a correlation and could affect the capacity of a president in performing his duties.
“I will suggest that Nigerians should be conscious of the choices they make. Vibrant and young people have more chances of being healthy than old people. You can’t cheat age. If you are old, you are old; if you are young, you are young.
“The problems of this country are enormous. Young people are healthy and likely to carry the burden more than old people.”
Meanwhile, opposition political parties have asked for the inclusion of full medical examinations as a pre-requisite for all presidential aspirants in future elections.
The National Chairman of Labour Party, Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, and his counterpart in the National Conscience Party, Dr. Yusuf Tanko, said it was high time Nigeria learnt lessons from its recent history.
Abdulkadir said Nigerians ought to have made the necessary adjustments to prevent the recurrence of the challenges it is currently facing.
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