Mahdi Shehu: Officials Use ‘Sickness’ to Mask Forced Exits

Public affairs analyst Mahdi Shehu has criticised the increasing pattern of Nigerian public officials resigning from office and attributing their exit to health challenges, insisting that such claims are often misleading.

In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Shehu argued that the “sickness” excuse has become a convenient cover for deeper political issues. According to him, officials who claim ill health when stepping down are usually concealing the true circumstances surrounding their departure.

He stated that resignations in Nigeria are frequently triggered by internal pressures, power tussles, or interference from influential political actors. “Whenever a public officer in Nigeria resigns and gives sickness as an excuse, know that he is an outright liar,” he wrote.

Shehu suggested that many are pushed out due to clashes with powerful groups, threats, or an inability to continue defending controversial government actions. “He might be tired of pretending and defending falsehood,” he added.

He also noted that some officials resign when they sense impending trouble and want to leave before a crisis erupts. In other instances, he claimed, a successor may have already been chosen, making the official’s exit unavoidable.

Shehu accompanied his commentary with photos of three prominent politicians who recently resigned while citing health concerns: former APC national chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; ex-presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale; and former Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru.

According to Shehu, the recurring pattern reveals that health explanations are rarely the full truth behind such departures.

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