‘It’s the real me’: Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari denies dying and being replaced by a clone in response to wild conspiracy theory
- A popular theory on social media is Muhammadu Buhari died while seeking medical treatment in the UK and was substituted by a lookalike from Sudan called Jubril
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has denied claims he died and was replaced by a Sudanese impostor, breaking his silence on a rumour that has circulated on social media for months.
“One of the questions that came up today in my meeting with Nigerians in Poland was on the issue of whether I‘ve been cloned or not,” he wrote on Facebook. “The ignorant rumours are not surprising — when I was away on medical vacation last year a lot of people hoped I was dead.”
Buhari, who is running for re-election in February, spent five months in Britain last year being treated for an undisclosed illness.
One theory widely aired on social media – and by some political opponents – was that he had been replaced by a lookalike from Sudan called Jubril.
No evidence has been presented, but videos making the claim have been viewed thousands of times on YouTube and Facebook.