The Yar`Adua Cabal: Where Are They Now?

By Chuks Ekpeneru

Ten years after the death of President Umaru Yar`Adua one political lexicon his brief presidential stewardship threw up was the concept of a cabal in power.

The cabal around President Yar`Adua gained ground as the president’s health deteriorated. Out of sight, the cabal around him dished out instructions and memos in his name.

The controversial P&ID contract was agreed to at this time.

Members of that cabal appear to have fizzled out of the public domain, though some of them still appear on the scene once in a while.

Hajia Turai Yar`Adua

Hajia Turai Yar’Adua was the putative head of the cabal.

 Unlike the present first lady, Aisha Buhari who has publicly expressed her disgust with the present cabal around her husband, Turai was in league with the Yar`Adua cabal majority of whom were from her native Katsina.

At the peak of the illness of the late president when he was returned to the country, Mrs. Yar’Adua was reported to have prevented almost everyone including the president’s direct siblings from seeing him.

Following the death of the president, Turai has remained in the background and the cancer research institute that she promoted abandoned.

Yusuf Tilde

Yusuf Tilde was Chief Security Officer to the President. He is from Bauchi State and was a former Director of State Security Services.

Tilde was undoubtedly the man behind the cabal and all the intrigues that played out at that time being the one who had custody of the president. He was believed to have drawn up a security system that neutralized all other structures that he met in the presidential villa.

He was retired from the service in August 2010 once Dr. Jonathan settled in power.

James Ibori

The former governor of the oil rich Delta State was believed to have invested about the greatest financial investment in Yar`Adua’s presidential project.

His ascendancy in the cabal was officially through his nominee, David Edevbie who was appointed as Principal Private Secretary, PPS with duties equivalent to Chief of Staff.

Ibori’s swagger in the Yar`Adua administration led to the whisper that he would replace Dr. Goodluck Jonathan on the ticket with Yar`Adua in 2011.

Whether true or not, the death of Yar`Adua and the emergence of Jonathan as president led to Ibori fleeing the country into the arms of INTERPOL in Dubai. From Dubai he was extradited to the United Kingdom where he was tried for money laundering and other offences. He pleaded guilty and served prison term in Britain.

He is back in Nigeria and has following Jonathan’s exit has fully been restored as the political leader of the Ibori machine that has produced all governors of Delta State since 1999.

Tanimu Yakubu was the Economic Adviser to the President. He is described as highly intelligent. He is presently the Chairman of moribund New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC).

Micheal Aondoakaa, Attorney-General of Federation and Minister for Justice then is remembered for his legal postulations on the legality of the infirm Yar`Adua operating from anywhere. He is now a big time farmer in his Benue State.

Col. Mustapha Onovieda was Yar’Adua’s Aide De Camp (ADC). He was one of the few people who had access to the incapacitated President. He exhibited total loyalty to his boss. The last heard about him was when he got promoted to rank of Brigadier-General.  He is from Ibori’s Urhobo ethnic stock.

Sayadi Abba-Ruma was the Minister of Agriculture in Yar’Adua’s presidency.

Ruma was one of the political and intellectual sounding boards of the Yar`Adua administration. He had emerged from the opposition to Yar`Adua in Katsina to serve the then governor and his capacity had led to his promotion within the Yar`Adua political family.

 Ruma is into private business in Abuja.

There was also Isa Yuguda who entered into the cabal through marriage to one of the daughters of the president. After two terms serving as governor of Bauchi State, Yuguda failed in 2015 and 2019 to win a Senate seat.

Bukola Saraki was Chairman of the Governors forum during that period. He used the position to galvanize the governor’s then to oppose Jonathan until the National Assembly came up with the doctrine of necessity. He was until recently the Senate President. The bad blood created at that time of the Yar`Adua affair may have created the bad blood between him and Jonathan that led to his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Adamu Aliero was Minister of FCT; he developed his closeness to Yar’Adua during the time they both served as governors between 1999 and 2007. When Yar Adua was smuggled into the country that February night, Aliero was visibly happy. He is presently in the Senate.

There was also Dimeji Bankole, speaker of the House of Representatives.

Lt.-Gen. Abdurahman Dambazau was Chief of Army Staff remembered for his role in the midnight return of Yar’Adaua. Dambazau was Minister of Defence during the first term of Muhammadu Buhari.

Major-General Sarki Muhtar was the National Security Adviser.

Alhaji Dahiru Mangal a private businessman from Katsina also had strong reckoning as a member of the cabal.

The three senators from Katsina then, Ibrahim Ida, Mahmoud Kanti-Bello and Garba Lado all played roles in the cabal. Senator Lado was an especially vibrant associate of the cabal.

The cabal (around Yar’Adua) wants to continue with their usual statement of ‘the President said and you must comply’

Dora akunyili

Speaking on the activities of the cabal then, late Dora Akunyili who was Minister of Information said: “The cabal (around Yar’Adua) wants to continue with their usual statement of ‘the President said and you must comply’

“They want to continue dishing out instructions even when the President did not say so … They sneaked him into this country in the night … I think it’s something that is unnecessary and uncalled for,” she said.

Eventually, Jonathan assumed executive powers on Feb. 9, ending months of state paralysis upon a motion from the Senate to empower him Acting President upon a Doctrine of Necessity that was backed by the Nigeria Interest Group, NIG.

The NIG comprised about 87 senators who met periodically in the Utako residence of Senator Ehigie Uzamere. Upon his confirmation as Acting President, Dr. Jonathan asked the group to nominate a minister and Senator Bala Mohammed was pushed forward by the group.

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