A spokesman for Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has denied media reports saying the president plans to resign for health reasons.
The Reuters news agency Tuesday quotes presidential spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi as saying that the reports are "absolute rubbish" and that there is no truth to them.
The president returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia on September 6, after more than two weeks out of public view. Nigerian newspapers reported that the president underwent surgery for a kidney ailment while in the kingdom.
Government officials refused to give details, but acknowledged that Mr. Yar'Adua saw doctors during the trip.
The 57-year-old Mr. Yar'Adua has battled health problems in recent years, and flew to Germany for medical treatment during the 2007 presidential campaign.
Critics have questioned whether he is fit to run Africa's most populous nation. Officials have insisted that Mr. Yar'Adua is in good health.
Nigerian opposition parties have repeatedly called for full disclosure about the president's health.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
