Nigeria’s federal capital, Abuja, is awake and buzzing at this hour with the startling information that Umaru Yar’Adua is on his way back Nigeria, 90 days after he was evacuated in a medical emergency. Some officials claim to have received text messages from some of Yar’Adua’s aides in Jeddah claiming that Nigeria’s sick “leader” would arrive at 2:00 AM, Nigeria time.
Although guarded Saharareporters sources had first claimed they were not officially aware of Yar’Adua’s return, they have been more forthcoming in the past hour that the story is true. Panic-stricken ministers and officials are in the dark about the latest information regarding Yar’Adua.
On the ground as of the time of writing this report, there are no reported troop movements or any airport ceremony that may indicate such an event, but the strong rumours are taking on a life of their own in Abuja.
The equally bizarre development is that Nigeria’s six–man ministerial delegation to Saudi Arabia arrived Riyadh at 6:00 AM (Nigerian time) today to find itself in an embarrassing effort to reach the King of Saudi Arabia, which was to be a step towards reaching Yar’Adua.
Their first order of business was to deliver a goodwill message to the King after which they were to have proceeded to Jeddah to meet Yar’Adua but they were shocked when the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs told the delegation that the King could not meet with them. He reportedly accepted their good will letters, thanked them for coming and told them that Yar’Adua had been “discharged” from hospital and was “on his way to Nigeria.”
The response of the Saudi authorities left the ministerial delegation stranded in Riyadh as they didn’t know what to do. It is now expected that they will return to Abuja early tomorrow.
Signs that new intrigues had crept into the ministerial trip emerged on Sunday night when a few minutes to departure to Saudi Arabia from Abuja, the ministers were denied departure as it was claimed that the Saudi authorities denied them landing rights, but the Saudi ambassador to Nigeria denied that claim.
When Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, showed up on Monday at the Presidential Villa to address the media, he had changed both the itinerary and mission of the six-man team. In preparing the mind of the Nigeria public for what would happen, he shockingly said the trip to Saudi Arabia was aimed at visiting the King of Saudi Arabia to thank him for taking care of Yar’Adua, and not to visit him in the hospital. That was not exactly the mission when the delegation was set up last Wednesday at the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
This evening’s development is a strange development, as it comes only days after Turai Yar’Adua was quoted as saying her husband would be returning home in 10 days. There are no indications as to Yar’Adua’s exact health situation, but it curious that he will be arriving in dead of the night with any official airport ceremony planned which has heightened fears that he might returning as a “packaged” person. There is not any indication whether the National Assembly, which is dominated by the People’s Democratic Party, would be insisting on his being checked out by doctors before he can seek to take back power.
Goodluck Jonathan became Acting President two weeks ago. Saharareporters sources said Jonathan was informed about Yar’adua’s impending return only a few hours ago.
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