Nigerians may be experiencing a similar scenario that played out during the late President Musa Yar’Adua’s administration with President Muhammadu Buhari as four of his “powerful aides” are said to now have full control over who gets access to the president in the United Kingdom.
Buhari, who is on extended leave in London, is however said to be directly accessible on phone only to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, Aisha Buhari.
Every other family member and top government officials who seek to see or speak with the president must get the approval from these four aides.
According to Punch, the four aides as the President’s nephew, Mamman Daura; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Sarki Aba; Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; and Personal Assistant to the President; Tunde Sabiu.
The aforementioned aides may be “the cabal” alleged by Aisha to have hijacked President Buhari’s government as it was further gathered that the First Lady maintains a somewhat “hostile” relationship with this set of aides.
“The First Lady is not with him permanently in London, which should normally not be the case. She has had a few clashes with the cabal and she is not happy that they are also firmly in control in London. That’s why she goes and comes. She is not happy with the atmosphere over there,” a government source.
A presidency source, who further confirmed statement said, “The names you have are accurate and they are the ones controlling access to the President in London, even in Nigeria. Some ministers, aides and service chiefs tried to talk to the President on the phone, but they turned them down.
“The few people that have seen the President only saw him because they agreed to it. If they didn’t, it would never have happened, apart from Governor Amosun, who everyone knows is one of Buhari’s best friends,” the source added.