Some members of the Ca­bal in the Presidency, who are scheming for relevance and seeking the ears of President Buhari, are using the memo to get back at el-Rufai, who is not in their good books.

In the memo, el-Rufai, in very blunt terms, had told the President: “Our APC admin­istration has not only failed to manage the expectations of a populace that expected over­night ‘change’ but has failed to deliver even mundane matters of governance outside of our successes in fighting BH insur­gency and corruption”.

The forces against el-Rufai re­portedly leaked the confidential memo and made it to look like el-Rufai had turned against Bu­hari – while the President him­self requested the memo from el-Rufai, reputed to be a member of his kitchen cabinet.

The plot against el-Rufai is part of the intrigues, confusion, in-fighting and scheming for power and relevance going on in the Presidency as members of the Cabal realign their forces to main­tain their hold on power – given the President’s ill-health.

Sources conversant with the issues confided to the paper that Buhari requested the memo from el Rufai, contrary to speculations that El-Rufai acted on his own volition in initiating the memo. The sources that were privy to the origin of the memo said that el-Rufai had, during his Sallah homage to Bu­hari at Daura on September 13, 2016, engaged the president on the state of the nation.

“The President was impressed with El-Rufai’s analysis of the problems confronting the admin­istration and the suggestions as to what the president needed to do to deliver. It was at that point that the president asked him to put his thoughts on paper for him,” said the source.

Sources confirmed to The AUTHORITY that El Rufai con­sulted widely, aware that the memo could be misconstrued and used against him.

“His exact fears have played out. And like we feared the pres­ident has refused to speak up. If he did the sail would have been taken out of the plot. But this is the nature of the President. Like in Magu’s case…, he was messed up by the Cabal, without the pres­ident lifting a finger,” said the source.

The Sallah encounter came just weeks after the Arewa Con­sultative Forum (ACF) had, in a meeting with the president, raised the issues that el-Rufai would also raise. The ACF impressed on the president the need to sack the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari and the Secretary to Government of the Federation Engineer David Lawal for “sheer incompetence” and lack of administrative ca­pacity.

A permanent secretary from the north east is helping the SGF, the same way Ambassador Baba­gana Kingibe is helping out Abba Kyari.

The follow up between the president and the ACF has sev­erally been scuttled by the Chief of Staff.

Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, the joint secretary of the party, has since moved on. He is now the Chief of Staff to Senator Bu­kola Saraki.

The sources confirmed that although the memo was ready be­fore the flag off of the Edo State governorship election, which the president attended, Governor El Rufai didn’t submit it because he wanted to consult further and wider.

Convinced about the noble intentions behind the memo, and the fact that the president him­self asked for it, he finally sent the memo.

Governor el-Rufai has never been popular with those around the president. He was once a strong critic of the president, but once he became convinced that Goodluck Jonathan must be de­feated, he switched and became a fanatical supporter of Buhari.

Sources told The AUTHORI­TY that the decision to ask el-Ru­fai to contest the governorship of Kaduna State was to “tactically get rid of him”. The Cabal reasoned that if El-Rufai wasn’t the gover­nor of Kaduna State, it would have been difficult to stop him from be­coming the Chief of Staff.

Story courtesy AUTHORITY Newspaper

simpleseyi:


If Buhari is dull what do we call the person that brought you forth to the world? No ill feelings, just a question.

simpleseyi:


If Buhari is dull what do we call the person that brought you forth to the world? No ill feelings, just a question.

MaziOmenuko:
I coould remember sometime last year when Buhari advised anyone that has any suggestion to put it in writing and forward to him. I think he was reacting to the Father Mbaka speech or something like that.

Wiseandtrue:
Agreed the President asked you to pen down your opinion not other people's. So who were you consulting


The tone of the memo sounded so disconnected, like rivalry most importantly as if you are not expecting PMB back ever again