[size=14pt]Yar’adua’s group considers a coup to stop Jonathan’s ascension to power, Sickly Nigerian leader not returning to Nigeria in 2009[/size]
Written by Sahara Reporters, New York   
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 21:00

Umaru Yar'adua
Members of Umaru Yar’adua’s kitchen cabinet are determined to stop at nothing in frustrating “Vice President” Goodluck Jonathan’s takeover of power in a constitutional manner, Saharareporters’ investigations have revealed. The new plot has been hatched in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is anchored by Yar’adua’s wife, Turai, his Chief Security Officer (CSO), Yusuf Tilde, and his Chief of Protocol, Abba Gana.

Ensconced in Jeddah, the group is working tirelessly with other members in Nigeria, notably Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa and former Delta Governor James Ibori, to place hurdles in the way of Jonathan’s constitutional succession.

A group familiar with the group’s plot told Saharareporters that the kitchen cabinet is seriously considering instigating a coup, using Yar’adua’s younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel Audu Yar’adua an Assistant Director of Logistics of the Nigerian Army, to mobilize a cadre of middle level officers. “The whole idea is to organize these officers to say that they’re opposed to Jonathan’s ascension to power based on reasons of incompetence, illegality and corruption,” said our source.

The kitchen cabinet’s plots came to a head yesterday with Aondoakaa’s controversial letter that invoked Section 5 of the constitution to ask Jonathan to act as “president.”

Before forwarding the letter to Jonathan, Aondoakaa had first sent it to Jeddah for Yar’adua’s approval. Our sources said the letter never made it to Yar’adua, who is reportedly still too sick to attend even to basic tasks. Instead, his wife, Turai, and Yar’adua’s CSO, Yusuf Tilde, faxed a copy of the letter  from the Nigerian embassy in Saudi Arabia to an aide to Yar’adua in Abuja who reportedly made a photocopy of the letter and forwarded it to Jonathan asking him to act as “president.”

Our sources said the controversial letter, in invoking section 5 of the constitution instead of section 145 and /or 146, was meant as a trap for Jonathan. “If the letter had been based on section 145 and /or 146, the Vice President would be empowered to fully exercise the duties of the presidency and to enjoy the rights and privileges set out in the constitution,” said a source. He added: “The members of the kitchen cabinet know that Yar’adua is in no shape to return to Nigeria in 2009, so they tried to entrap Jonathan in an illegality – hence the kind of letter sent to him.”

Our source insisted that Turai and Aondoakaa are fully aware of Yar’adua’s continuing health crisis, and yet they constantly sponsor propaganda in Bola Tinubu’s The Nation newspaper to the effect that the sickly ruler may be home-bound soon.

One of our sources disclosed that the question of a constitutional transfer of power to Jonathan has become more valid and urgent in light of several issues of governance that require presidential approval.

“Nigeria is in a constitutional crisis, and it is deepening by the day,” said a source, a minister in the Yar’adua cabinet. He stated that, without a miraculous recovery to enable Yar’adua to return to the country, the country’s machinery is bound to grind to a halt soon.

On his part, Jonathan appears to have adopted a strategic aloofness. He has so far refused to append his signature to bills coming from the National Assembly and to the list of National Merit Award winners, insisting that he couldn’t do anything without a constitutional backing in place to guarantee the legality of his action.

[b]A source revealed that Aondoakaa’s questionable letter was meant to railroad Jonathan to accept a constitutionally fake role of “acting President” so that, if a coup is successfully carried out, Jonathan could be easily brushed aside and accused of engaging in illegality and unconstitutional acts – a constant refrain of coup plotters.  Also, the role sought for Jonathan would enable him sign bills that could quickly cater to financial interests of Turai and some other members of the "kitchen cabinet" who are engaged in contract awards running into billions of naira.

Our sources said Jonathan was livid with rage over Aondoakaa’s letter. He reportedly made it clear that he would not accept to discharge any presidential duties on the basis of a letter he considered absurd.

In order to placate the fuming Jonathan, Aondoakaa appeared in Jonathan’s office today in the company of the Benue Governor Gabriel Suswan. We were unable to confirm the details of the meeting, but a source briefed by Aondoakaa said the AGF tried to explain why he took the action. In return, Jonathan reportedly expressed displeasure in strong terms about the way Aondoakaa and his group had been degrading him and his office.

Jolted by Jonathan’s strong reaction as well as by the fall-out from media leaks of the controversial letter, Aondoakaa and his advisors have decided to deny that he ever forwarded the letter to Jonathan.[/b]

Saharareporters had earlier reported that Yar’adua’s kitchen cabinet, which includes Aondoakaa and Ibori, had assured Turai Yar’adua that they could arrange for her to “serve out” her husband’s tenure in the event of his death or incapacitation.

Our source said the current stand-off was part of the agenda by the Turai-Aondoakaa coalition to retain and exercise power by all means as long as they can get away with it.

“The inner circle around Turai has decided to withhold all information about Yar’adua’s condition while using sections of the media to sell false reports of the man’s steady recovery,” said a source within the Presidency.

Other sources confirmed to Saharareporters that, contrary to several official claims, Yar’dua has not spoken with any government official, including “Vice President” Jonathan and cabinet ministers since he was flown out to Saudi Arabia on November 23.

A trusted source who spoke with one of the tiny few to have seen Yar’adua told Saharareporters that the imposed ruler “is largely unaware of his surroundings and has had serious bouts of dementia in addition to major organ troubles.” Saharareporters was first to reveal that Mr. Yar’adua was being flown on medical emergency to Saudi Arabia exactly a month ago.

In Yar’adua’s absence, a few forces and groups have emerged and are engaged in the political brinkmanship that has held Nigeria hostage.

The arrowheads of the crisis that now threatens Nigeria’s democracy and possibly its fragile unity include Minister of Agriculture, Abba Ruma, Yar’adua’s Chief Economic Adviser, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, a member of the House of Representatives, Shehu Inuwa Imam, representing Faskari/Kankara Sabu Wa Federal Constituency. Mr. Inuwa Imam who was recently in Jeddah where he participates in the strategy sessions of the inner circle.

Other players include Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, and Yar’adua’s Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa. Our source said Judge Awokulehin finally agreed to read his verdict acquitting Ibori of all counts of corruption after Aondoakaa assured the judge that their group has the upper hand in the power struggle “and that there would be no negative repercussions.”

Former Senator Abba Aji of Borno and National Security Adviser, Sarki Mukhtar, are also listed among those engaged in the plot to thwart Jonathan’s possible ascension to the presidency.

Sources told Saharareporters that four groups are arrayed against each other and jostling for the vice presidency slot. One group, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is sponsoring two candidates, Jigawa’s governor, Sule Lamido, and Senator Jubril Aminu. Former military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, is also proposing former National Security Adviser, Aliyu Gusau, while a third group led by Abubakar Umar and Muhammadu Buhari are said to be open to “any good candidate” from the North. The last group is the “Presidency group” which has championed Secretary to the Federal Government, Ahmed Yayale, as its candidate.

A number of the groups are said to be afraid that a Jonathan presidency would mean Obasanjo’s return to reckoning as the central source of power in Nigeria.

One source, a member of the Babangida group, told Saharareporters that “We’ll never allow Chief Obasanjo to sneak back to power through the back door,” adding that the various Northern groups recently decided to send a strong warning to Obasanjo “to stop meddling in our affairs.”

http://72.32.176.2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4612:2009-12-24-02-04-50&catid=81:external-contrib&Itemid=300

The constitution and nothing but the constitution.

Andoakaa must think everybody is dumb.

He must surely meet his waterlo sometime very soon.

Our source insisted that Turai and Aondoakaa are fully aware of Yar’adua’s continuing health crisis, and yet they constantly sponsor propaganda in Bola Tinubu’s The Nation newspaper to the effect that the sickly ruler may be home-bound soon.
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This is our i know the above news is rubbish and not credible - I can not envisage why tinubu would allow turai use his medium to broadcast propaganda.

SR at it again

i wonder where all this crap news is emanating from?

blacksta:

This is our i know the above news is rubbish and not credible - I can not envisage why tinubu would allow turai use his medium to broadcast propaganda.

SR at it again

Tinubu, the Saraki's and Ibori are best of friends and act in synch; they are the Yar Adua people with Turai as anchor. These things are common knowledge.

RICHIE BOI:

i wonder where all this crap news is emanating from?

It has very obviously been leaked from Aso Rock.

You cannot dismiss every news as rubbish.

If dis unbelievable news is correct,i smell civil war!

RICHIE BOI:

i wonder where all this crap news is emanating from?

I wonder too!

In all of this where does the common stand? Nowhere!

I don't know why Nigerians are among the most hopelessly docile people in this world. A few misbegotten people gang up and play high stakes with our collective destiny and we sit on our backsides and watch. How hopeless!

Until the Nigerian gets on the street and stays there till certain demands are met, we will go no where in this blighted country.

Our demands should include
1. Following the constitution to the letter
2. Extensive reform of our electoral laws to criminalize rigging
3. Immediate passage of the Freedom of Information Bill
4. Immediate institution of the death penalty for corruption

Not until we revolt, kill off some of our tormentors and free ourselves of bondage will we breath a sigh of relief and tell our children that we "fought" for our freedom.

Anything less is stuttering.

Aandoaka, is this man really human? I never imagined that a single man can be sooooooo shamelessly shameless.
I hope he learns from his predecesors that once you leave power in naija, you are ON YOUR OWN.

@Firesaint, you spoke so well, but its a shame that most of us have imbibed the "sidon-look" attitude until things get way out of hand.

Most political rumours in nigeria has always come true. The stage is now been set for the political grandmasters and our survival as a nation is the trophy. The potential winners we dont know yet but its sure gonna be very interesting cos its a test case for jonathan to cut his teeth in the biggest league of naija politics and i honestly hope he survives this onslaught. ARISE O COMPATRIOTS! Its high time we nigerians wakeup from our slumbers and indolence to take our destiny in our hands lest we forever live under siege of a war declared on us by the elite and politicians

It is not enough to dismiss an attempt to understand what is going on in Nigeria right now as crap news or propaganda without providing a credible explanation nor pointing to a credible explanation from the Government as to why we have been in a power vacuum in the last 31days.

Richieboy and co please advice us on what is rather a credible news in the light of the fact that we have not had a President in the last 31days, while a group of people are fraternising the Presidency and choosing who will know the state of health of the President and who wont.

Power play