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Events in the past few weeks are fast lending credence to the speculations that Hajia Turai Yar'Adua, Nigeria's first lady, is firmly in the driver's seat as Nigeria's de facto President. Before her husband departed the country few weeks ago for what has now blow open as a crucial life saving medical trip to Saudi Arabia, Turai played her role from the sidelines, holding forte only when the president falls asleep.
But now, Turai appears to have finally stepped out. President Umaru Yar'Adua's failing health has thrust on her the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the state, in defiance of the constitutional provision which puts the Vice President in charge in the President's absence. Even though she has been out of the country these few weeks with the president as the number one citizen seeks a solution to his failing health, the first lady reportedly still calls the shots even from abroad. She is perhaps, making history as the first president's wife to wield such an enormous power in a democratic dispensation. “Not even in the dark day of the jackboot has Nigeria experienced the kind of situation we now find ourselves,” exclaimed a senior government official, who would rather not be named, last week. He was echoing the widely held belief that the first lady ably supported by a few president's men has virtually seized the reins of power, rendering even Vice President Goodluck Jonathan inconsequential in the current power calculation. “It does not matter whether it is the president's wife or any other person that is in charge, what is worrying is that such a person is not the vice president,” says an economist with the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, who wished not to be named.
But is Turai really in control? Sources say undoubtedly yes. They point to an incident that purportedly took place in July last year, two months after Yar Adua moved into Aso Rock. Fresh from the polls and its attendant consequences, the President was trying to heal old wounds and fix pre and post election squabbles. He was also trying to navigate the political landmines and constitute his cabinet. As a matter of course, political lobbyists and job seekers were everywhere, throwing up their resume for appointment into the government, particularly as ministers. The party hierarchy had submitted the ministerial list to the president, but he was yet to decide. It was at this time that the first seeds of Turai's influence became obvious. Naturally, the lobbyists turned to her for help. Sources say not only did madam put in words for her favoured candidates; she went as far as editing the list of nominees with the consent of the president, much to the displeasure and shock of the President's aides.
Again, few months to the first year anniversary of President Yar'Adua government, another scenario played itself out. The setting this time was the expansive and tastefully furnished living quarters inside Aso Rock, the Presidential Villa, and there were three people present - President Umaru Yar'Adua, Turai, his wife, and a highly placed government official. As they chatted over what sources said was of common concern, the phone rang. Turai picked up the phone and listened for a few seconds. Suddenly, her countenance changed and she scuffed at the caller, "He is not available", and dropped the phone. Yar'Adua and his visitor were too engrossed in a discussion to take note of the telephone conversation. A few minutes later, the phone rang again, and it was the same caller, madam took the call and again refused to pass it on to the President, and then it rang a third time, and this time the President noticed and asked, who had been calling. "It is the former President". Turai reportedly said in Hausa. "What does the man want? His wahala is too much". According to sources, that was vintage Turai Yar' Adua, quiet but tough.
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