Crack in Yar’Adua’s camp •Aides give condition for continued support

Cracks have emerged in the camp of ailing President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, as his aides are demanding to be told the truth about his state of health as a condition for continued support. A highly reliable source close to the Yar’Adua family confirmed that presidential aides are not happy that since the return of their boss to the country last Wednesday, none of them has seen him, including Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who has been managing the affairs of the country in his absence.

Consequently, Yar’Adua’s aides, at a meeting on Thursday, decided that since they would not be allowed to see the president, for whom many of them had sacrificed what they called their hard earned integrity and honour, Jonathan, at least, should not be prevented from seeing him, in the interest of peace and order.
Saturday Sun gathered that the aides are pushing for Jonathan to be granted access to Yar’Adua and also that steps should be taken to erase every doubt, as to what is happening.

“The point is that people have realized that this matter has been taken to a ridiculous point. It is no longer funny to them anymore. The nation’s peace, unity and stability are being threatened. They can no longer pretend that all is well. History beckons on every Nigerian, irrespective of his or her position to rise up and save the country from disintegration. These aides have realized this and have risen to the occasion,” our source further explained.
Saturday Sun learnt that all Yar’Adua’s aides have accordingly decided to rally round Jonathan and support him in an effort to reposition the country and halt the current drift.
While sympathizing with the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, over her husband’s health, the aides are said to have expressed the hope that she would show understanding, in the face of the current hopeless situation, let go certain things and face reality as a muslim.
Our source said if everything goes according to plan, the matter would be amicably resolved and the country would be spared further confusion and anxiety over the president’s health condition.

Questions have continued to be raised as to the motive behind the sudden decision to bring back the ailing president to the country on Wednesday if his condition is such that he will continue to be shielded from people, no matter their position in government and also their relationship with the first family.
All attempts by highly placed government functionaries to see him, since he was brought back to the country under the cover of darkness, have continued to be rebuffed, leaving people more confused and disenchanted than they were hitherto.

Not only has Jonathan not able to see him, the national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, has twice tried to see the president with key officials of the party and has twice been disallowed. In the same vein, the chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday made another unsuccessful attempt to see the president. “Whatever their motive is in bringing the man back in a condition that no one is allowed to see him, not even his deputy; not even his party officials; not even the governors; not even his in-laws and so on, they clearly have failed. Nigerians cannot continue to be fooled,” our source added.

Yar’Adua’s mother denied access to him

The hide and seek game over the true state of health of ailing President Umar Musa Yar’Adua continued yesterday, as his mother was denied access to him.
Competent sources close to the Yar’Adua family told Saturday Sun that the president’s mother, who led other concerned family members to Abuja, for the purpose of seeing their son, were told in clear terms that it was impossible to see him because he is still in the ambulance that moved him from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to the Presidential Villa.

The distraught mother of President Yar’Adua was said to have been told of the grave implications of evacuating the ambulance.
According to the source, Yar’Adua could hardly now recognize anybody, as he has lost memories of anything around him.
The source said: “Yar’Adua’s mother and those she came with from Katsina were told that they cannot see the president. The doctors told them that if Yar’Adua is evacuated from the ambulance, he would die.

“It took doctors, a few of who came with the ambulance airbus, one and a half hours to evacuate the president from the airbus ambulance into the waiting ambulance at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on arrival.”
Family sources also revealed that they had earlier asked for the return of Yar’Adua to Katsina but that the wife, Hajia Turai, rebuffed all entreaties.

Sun News