Vice President Kashim Shettima and President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, have arrived in London to receive the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday.
The duo is leading Nigeria’s official delegation to the United Kingdom, following President Tinubu’s directive on Sunday that they oversee arrangements for the late leader’s return and burial in Nigeria.
Upon their arrival in London early Monday, they were received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, and other officials.
Buhari reportedly died around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday after a long illness. Details of the ailment were not made public.
Just a week earlier, Buhari’s former spokesperson, Garba Shehu, downplayed media reports about the former president’s condition. Speaking with Channels Television, he said: “He was hospitalised, and now he is being cared for. He is in a recovery mode. Each day, he gets better, but until it’s all over, you can’t say it is over. He looked much better after leaving office than before he became president. He is 82, he eats healthy, and exercises regularly.”
President Tinubu, in response to the news of Buhari’s passing, ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast and extended heartfelt condolences to the former president’s family.
About Buhari
Born in Daura, Katsina State, Buhari first led Nigeria as a military ruler from January 1984 to August 1985. After the return to civilian rule in 1999, he ran for president three times unsuccessfully—in 2003, 2007, and 2011.
In 2013, his political party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), merged with other opposition parties—including Bola Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)—to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
That coalition led to a landmark victory in the 2015 presidential election, with Buhari and his running mate Yemi Osinbajo defeating the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan. It was the first time an opposition party unseated a sitting president in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Buhari was re-elected in 2019 and served two full terms, eventually handing over power to President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima on May 29, 2023.
