The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the country on the state of the Presidential Villa in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement on Tuesday that the party’s demand was prompted by Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, testing positive to the coronavirus.
“The party’s demand is predicated on public apprehensions of health safety issues in the Villa following reports that President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, had tested positive to the deadly coronavirus disease,” the statement read.
“The PDP notes that though President Buhari was reported to have tested negative to the virus, it is yet imperative that he douses public tension by addressing a distressed nation on the status of the Villa, especially given that other officials, like Abba Kyari, had travelled to high-risk countries in the course of their duties.
“The party notes that an address on the situation in the Presidential villa will further douse public concerns about the status of certain key officials, who have not been visible in the last few days.”
The PDP urged Nigerians, “no matter how highly placed”, returning from foreign trips to adhere to directives by health authorities and self-isolate.
It also said: “The PDP urged the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and other relevant agencies to adopt stringent measures to isolate and monitor persons coming into the country as well as track and equally isolate those who had made contact with infected persons.
“In this regard, the NCDC should move into the Presidential Villa and immediately track and isolate all those who had made contact with President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, so as to check further spread of COVID-19 in our country.”
