Since ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo dropped a “letter bomb” to President Muhammadu Buhari some weeks ago, the Presidency is no longer at ease.
Before the “bomb”, the President seemed to have turned deaf ears to ostensible problems facing Nigerians and begging for quick solutions.
At first, Aisha’s suggestion that a cabal had hijacked the President and prevented him from following through with the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress was an unsavoury message to him.
President Buhari deflected the bombshell by joking in an interview (with German Chancellor Angela Merkel sitting by his side), that his wife should be forgiven for venturing outside her place in “the other room.”
After sometime, Aisha, wife of the president like her daughter lamented the poor state of the Aso Rock Clinic and berated the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the clinic, Dr. Hussain Munir for running an ill-equipped health care facility in Aso Rock.
Mrs. Buhari expressed displeasure over the terrible state of the clinic for which huge sums of money are budgeted every year and demanded accountability on the clinic’s funds by its management.
Next came shot from the re-admission of Abdulrasheed Maina, the erstwhile chairman of Pension Reformed Scheme into the civil service, yet no punitive measure was taken to serve as a deterrent to others.
Months after Buhari’s return, a report indicting former SGF, Babachir Lawal and former NIA DG, Ayo Oke was submitted to the government and nothing happened. The President also filled the security hierarchy with appointments that would embarrass even the worst ethnic irredentist.
It was after Buhari’s return from medical tourism in United Kingdom that long queues resurfaced in petrol stations, and that was after his minister of state, Ibe Kachikwu and the GMD of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, lounged at each other’s throat over allegations of fraud and insubordination; it was after Buhari’s return that 73 citizens were murdered in Benue and we’re still trying to figure out whether it was a “communal clash” or an “invasion by the Islamic State.”
In December last year, some Nigerians expressed outrage over the inclusion of no fewer than eight dead Nigerians on the list of appointments into the governing boards of agencies and parastatals, describing the gaffe as a reflection of how the APC-led government administers the country.
Yet, Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Muhammadu Buhari advising him not to seek re-election in 2019 as ”a political game.”
Other Nigerians have supported Obasanjo’s letter while the rest have berated him for lacking morality in advising Buhari not to go for a second in office.
However, the letter has unwittingly rattled Mr. President, ruffled the ‘cabal’, altered the political equation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and shattered the records of political book makers in the unfolding political intrigues toward presidency 2019.
Before now, President Buhari had subtly indicated interest to seek re-election in 2019. With the development, he seems to be developing cold feet in his ambition.
Straightnews investigations show that two members of “inner circle” in Aso Rock spearhearded by Mamman Daura, a cousin to President Buhari and Abba kyari, Chief of Staff to the President are rumoured to be sponsoring Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for presidency in 2019.
As a pointer to this rumour, Mr. Kingibe’s purported campaign posters for the presidency were recently circulated in Abuja and other cities.
But, Kingibe in a statement on Friday in Abuja has denied the rumour, saying that he would not stand against President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 election.
The suave politician had aspired to the presidency in 1991 under the defunct Social Democractic Party (SDP) but lost at the primary.
He later became the running mate to the late Moshood Abiola who supposedly won the 1993 presidential election that was eventually annulled by then Military President, Ibrahim Babangida.
He said Mr. Buhari and his policies would “rescue Nigeria from the accumulated decay, loss of moral compass and leadership failure”.
The retired diplomat expressed his “full support” for the president also expressed lack of political ambition ahead of the 2019 election or at any other time.
He said the campaign posters “were neither produced nor authorised” by him. He said he did not also discussed the purported aspiration with anybody.
“I am experienced enough in politics to know that you do not start a political campaign with posters without talking to anyone about your ambition”.
The statement also linked the circulation of the posters to a recent statement said to be written by some directors of the National Intelligence Agency to the House of Representatives Committee on Security and National Intelligence accusing Mr. Kingibe of wrongdoing.
“The phantom allegations and the pasting of posters are too striking to be coincidental. This is a miscalculated attempt to malign and defame me,” Mr. Kingibe said.
