Nigerian president denies dying and being replaced by clone

Baku. 3 December. REPORT.AZ/ Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has denied claims that he had died and was replaced by a Sudanese impostor, breaking his silence on a rumour that has circulated on social media for months, Report informs citing Interfax.

“It’s the real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong,” Buhari told Nigerians in a town hall session in Poland on Sunday, where he was attending a conference, when asked about Jubril.

“A lot of people hoped that I died during my ill health. Some even reached out to the Vice President to consider them to be his deputy because they assumed I was dead. That embarrassed him a lot and of course, he visited me when I was in London convalescing,’’ he said, adding that those who spread the rumour were “ignorant and irreligious”.

Notably, in 2017, Buhari underwent a five-month course of treatment in the UK. Details of his health problems were not reported.

One of the questions that came up today in my meeting with Nigerians in Poland was on the issue of whether Ive been cloned or not. The ignorant rumours are not surprising — when I was away on medical vacation last year a lot of people hoped I was dead. pic.twitter.com/SHTngq6LJU

— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) December 2, 2018