NaijaBet opens betting on Buhari’s return
Nigeria’s ailing President Muhammadu Buhari who has been away in London for almost three months has become the subject of a sports betting game in his homeland .
A popular sports gaming site , NaijaBet . com, is asking those interested to stake their money on when Buhari who left Nigeria on May 7 on his latest medical trip to the British capital, would return .
The company usually focusses on English Premiership , Champions League and other sporting events , but recently launched the ‘ Buhari to Return ’ game :
YOU CAN BET ON IF HE WILL RETURN ON THE 2 ND WEEK OF AUGUST OR THE 4 TH
The 74 - year - old Buhari first sought treatment in London in June last year for what presidency officials said was a persistent inner ear infection , returning in six months for check - ups that were later said to be “ a long period of treatment ” .
Buhari himself admitted on his return to Abuja in March that he had not been that ill before .
Despite Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ’ s acting on his behalf, Buhari ’ s protracted absence has sparked intense public debate in Nigeria .
Last month , both members of the ruling party and the opposition went to see him in London and even took pictures with him in London to douse public anxiety .
The health of Nigerian leaders has often been a contentious issue .
Buhari , a former military ruler in the 1980 s , was dogged by speculation about his health even before the election win in 2015 that brought him to power .
During that campaign, the then- ruling party claimed he was seriously ill with prostate cancer and even put out advertisements insinuating he would die in office.
He rejected the claims as unfounded .
In 2010 , Nigeria was plunged into months of political turmoil after President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua died in office following months of treatment in Saudi Arabia .
