The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (retd),  has shelved a scheduled visit to the United States to discuss the forthcoming elections, ostensibly because of a hectic campaign itinerary at home.

There had been widespread insinuations in the local media that Buhari was heading to the US on medical grounds.

The United States-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, which invited Buhari to its programme scheduled for Monday, told Premium Times in an email exchange that the event has now been called off at Buhari’s instance.

The organisation’s Director of African Programme, Jennifer Cooke, told the online news platform that the cancellation of the event was due to “a change in his (Buhari) schedule.”

“First, I want to make you aware that, because of a change in his schedule, Gen Buhari will not be travelling to the United States, and the event on Monday has been cancelled,” she said.

Cooke added that “the CSIS Africa Program issued almost identical invitations to both leading political candidates (President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari) to share their perspectives on Nigeria’s forthcoming elections and Nigeria’s future more broadly. There is considerable interest among U.S. policymakers and the Nigerian Diaspora community in the February 14 elections, and an interest in hearing from both candidates first hand their thoughts on how best to ensure that the elections will be free, fair, credible, and peaceful”.

Cooke also said that “the Africa Program has no position on which candidate should or will be successful.”

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