Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday refuted reports that suggested he was ill and had been flown out of the country for medical attention.

The politician who is also the national leader of the All Progressives Congress said he had no grudge against those who he said wished him dead. Speaking with journalists shortly after a condolence visit to the widow of the late Sun Newspapers’ vice chairman, Dimgba Igwe, the former governor said he only travelled to get some rest from work.

Reports emerged a fortnight ago that the APC strongman was down with stroke and could hardly recognise his family members.

Accompanied by his wife, Remi, and ex-chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, Tinubu said the report was the handiwork of some “rats who just go to ise-ewu centres and concoct stories”. While affirming that he was hale and hearty, he said he had left the country to get a few days rest after a rigorous period of planning the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections.

“My appearance puts paid to that rumour. Wait a minute, since 1994, after MKO Abiola election in SDP days, we have been in trenches.

Whether you are in exile or anywhere, it’s a day-in-day-out working machine.

It’s either one person is in one direction here, and the other man is elsewhere.

You saw when late Anthony Enahoro came back, he came back with a walking stick. It is a gruesome period that no one could sleep and take adequate rest.

“Then came 1999, and ever since then, we have been on a political horse race, bare-footed, fighting a war, while some people are on the horse. The person must rest.

“A whole lot of you might not know; sometimes I don’t go to bed until 4:30am and by 8am, I am already up answering questions and planning elections.

I promised myself and my family that one day I will escape, go rest, nobody will be able to reach me and that is what I did.

I did my general medical check in April, it’s not yet time for another round. “I went to my doctor friend and asked him that with all these rumours going on, does he have to examine me, but he said ‘no’.

Now, tomorrow if you like, I would bring my exercise bicycle out and ride for you. That’s just the truth, I didn’t even have a need for panadol or paracetamol since I was away. That is the gospel truth.”

Tinubu also denounced reports that the Lagos State government was footing his medical bills. “If you go to some places, they say Lagos State is paying my medical bills. Go to the Ministry of Health, go and find out.

I am so shocked. As a matter of fact, I feel I am a member and a leader in this profession of journalism and some of you must be challenged to question some of these rats who are just going to ise-ewu centres and concoct stories. You see, it’s a stain on your profession, integrity and honesty.

“If you start to cry wolf where there is none, the day wolf comes, nobody will be there.

“As far as I am concerned, if there is anybody there who has planted poison in my body, expecting it to incubate, germinate and kill me by now or hospitalise me by now, they are getting my family members worried and raising questions. Why is this? If it’s a question of death, we would all die one day.

And to their lies, I say God will forgive them, guide them right. If they just want to make money, they should do the right thing and they would get their daily bread,” he said.